THE 
WORLD 


«         ■•* 


C.R.WOOLDHiDGE 

YEARS    A 
FXTIVE  ON 
I  HE   CHICAGO 

FOLICF    FORCE 

OO  ARRESTS 
125  PENITENTIARY 

CONVICTIONS 

7B  :JNG    GiRLS 

lESCLED  FROM  LIVES 
;"IE 


LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

IN  MEMORY  OF 

STEWART  S.  HOWE 

JOURNALISM  CLASS  OF  1928 

STEWART  S.  HOWE  FOUNDATION 

364 

W882h 

1906 


HANDS   UP! 


IN    THE    WORLD    OF    CRIMB 


OR 


J2  YEARS  A  DETECTIVE) 


CLIFTON  R.   WOOLDREDGE, 
Chicago's  famous  detective 


THRILLING  DESCRIPTIONS  GIVING  CAPTURE  OF  BANIt  ROBBERS, 
PANEL  HOUSE  WORKERS,  CONFIDENCE  MEN  AND  HUNRDEDS 
OTHER   CRIMINALS   OF   ALL   KINDS. 


TELLS  IN  GRAPHIC  MANNER  HOW  CRIMINALS  OF  ALL  CLASSES 
OPERATE-  ILLUSTRATIONS  SHOWING  ARRESTS  OF  MURDERERS. 
SAFE  BLOWERS,  DIAMOND  THIEVES,  PROCURESSES  OF  YOUNG 
GIRLS,  ETC.,  ETC. 

1700    Arrests  —  125     Criminals     Sent     to    Penitentiary  — 
$75,000  Worth  of  Lost  and  Stolen  Property  Re- 
covered—  75     Young     Girls   Rescued 
from    L<ives    of    Shame. 


CHICAGO 

THOMPSON  &  THOMAS 


Copyright,  1901 

BY 
C1.IFTON  R.   WOOLDRIDGE 


Copyright,  1906 

BY 

Clifton  R.  Wooldridob 


(ICG 


J- 


Preface. 

In  presenting  this  work  to  the  public  the  author  has  nts 
apologies  to  make  nor  favors  to  ask.  It  is  a  simple  his- 
tory of  his  connection  with  the  Police  Department  of 
Chicago,  compiled  from  his  own  memoranda,  the  news- 
papers, and  the  official  records.  The  matter  herein  con- 
tained differs  from  those  records  only  in  details,  as  many 
facts  are  given  in  the  book  which  have  never  been  made 
public.  The  author  has  no  disposition  to  malign  any 
one,  and  names  are  used  only  in  cases  in  which  the  facts 
are  supported  by  the  archives  of  the  Police  Department 
and  of  the  criminal  court.  In  the  conscientious  discharge 
of  his  duties  as  an  officer  of  the  law,  the  author  has  in 
all  cases  studied  the  mode  of  legal  procedure.  His  aim 
has  been  solely  to  protect  society  and  the  taxpayer,  and 
to  punish  the  guilty.  The  evidences  of  his  sincerity  ac- 
company the  book  in  the  form  of  letters  from  the  highest 
officers  in  the  city  government,  from  the  mayor  down  to 
the  precinct  captain,  and  furnish  overwhelming  testi- 
mony as  to  his  endeavors  to  serve  the  public  faithfully 
and  honestly.  No  effort  has  been  made  to  bestow  self- 
praise,  and  where  this  occurs,  it  is  only  a  reproduction, 
perhaps  in  different  language,  of  the  comments  indulged 
in  by  the  newspapers  of  Chicago  and  other  cities,  whose 
reporters  are  among  the  brightest  and  most  talented 
young  men  in  all  the  walks  and  professions  of  life.  To 
them  the  officer  acknowledges  his  obligations  in  many  in- 
stances.    Often  he  has  worked  hand-in-hand  with  them. 


4  PREFACE 

They  have  traveled  with  him  in  the  dead  hours  of  the 
night,  in  his  efforts  to  suppress  crime  or  track  a  criminal, 
and  have  often  given  him  assistance  in  the  way  of  sug- 
gestions. 

He  now  submits  his  work  and  his  record  to  the  public, 
hoping  it  will  give  him  a  kindly  reception. 


General  Superintendents  of  Police 
from  1855  to  190)  Inclusive. 


Oirraa  Puker  Bradley,  Af 

polnU 

td  Jana, 

1856 

Austin  J  Doyle,          •    Appointed  No*.   18,  1881 

•* 

1803 

Frederick  Eberaold.                   " 

Cot.    98,1886 

nnUaiD  TntUe,       ■ 

•• 

ipril. 

1864 

George  W  Hubbard.  .                " 

April  17,  1888 

WW    Kennadr. 

- 

AprU, 

1871 

Frederick  H    Manb,                  •• 

Jan.     1,  1890 

Elmer  Wuhbotn.  . 

" 

April, 

18TJ 

Robert  W   MoClaoghry,             " 

May    18.  1891 

Jacob  R«hm,         -  .    . 

•* 

Dm„ 

1873 

Michael  Brensan.      -                ** 

Sept.  U.  1893 

Hichsel  a  Hiokay, 

" 

Oct. 

7.  1876 

John  J.  Badenoch,                     *• 

AprU,       1896 

Valerius  A.  Saavey,     • 

•  • 

July 

».  1878 

Joseph  Eipley,            .                 •• 

April  U,  1897 

SimoD  O'Donnell. 

a 

Deo. 

16.1879 

Jowipb  Kiplay,           R»«ppoiiit«d  April,      189S 

William  J.  MoOsrigla, 

Dm. 

13,1880 

Franoia  O'Neill,          -    Appointed  April  W,  1901 

MAYOR'S 

OFFICE 


CARTER  n.  HARRISON, 

MA  YOK. 


Chicago.  III.,  June  7.  i90i. 
t 

To  Whom  It  May  Concern; 

Officer  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  of  the 
Chicago  Police  Department,  has  compiled  a 
book  touching  upon  his  experience  as  an 
officer.   I  desire  to  state  that  I  have 
known  Officer  Wooldridge  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  consider  him  an  able  and  effi- 
cient officer.  I  feel  confident  that  officer 
Wooldridge 's  experience  as  an  officer 
is  sufficiently  interesting  to  be  published, 
and  will  prove  good  reading. 
Respectfully, 


(j)c^^0-<^c. 


Mayor. 


TESTIMONIALS. 


"THE  author  feels  that  he  is  entirely  justified  in  pointing  to 
'  the  endorsements  whioh  follow  here.  They  are  from  his 
superior  officers  and  others  in  the  legal  and  department  of 
justice,  both  in  the  city  and  state.  He  submits  them  together 
with  his  life  work,  and  feels  they  will  add  interest  to  the  contents 
of  this  book. 


STATE'S  ATTORNEY'S  OFFICE. 

Chicago,  Ilu,  March  5,  1901. 
To  Whom  It  Mav  Conxern 

Detective  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  and  his 
work  have  been  known  to  me  ever  since  I 
liave  been  state's  attorney.  He  has  been 
instrumental  in  producing  evidence  in  a  large 
number  of  cases  against  keepers  of  disreputable 
houses  and  proprietors  of  gambling  resorts,  to 
which  work  he  has  been  giving  his  exclusive 
attention  under  the  direction  of  the  police  chief.  It  is  with  pleasure  that 
I  am  able  to  say  that  Detective  Wooldridge  has  conducted  all  his  cases  with 
zeal  and  intelligence,  and  I  know  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  officers 
on  the  Chicago  police  force. 

Very  respectfully. 


S.    DENEEK. 


State  Attorney  for  Cook  County.  Illinois. 


OFFICE  OF 

J.  M.  LONGENECKER. 
Attorney  at  Law. 

Chicago,  February  26.  1901. 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge.  Chicago.  111. 

Dear  Sir : — I  take  great  pleasure  in  say- 
ing that  I  have  known  you  well,  and  duriug 
my  term  as  state's  attorney  of  Cook  county, 
there  has  never  come  to  the  courts  a  better 
equipped  police  officer  than  you.  I  know 
.    ..    .  „.,^...,^^^c,,  that  no  man  on  the  police  force  did  his  work 

I.     M.     LONObNllCKHK.  ,        .^     , 

with  as  much  zeal  and  efficiency  as  you,  and 
that  you  are  a  worthy  man  and  officer  in  every  respect  and  deserve  the 
commendation  of  all  good  citizens. 

Very  respectfully, 


\Q(£ri^jf.^^^^uC^^/(^ 


OFFICES   OF 

KERN  &  BOTTUM. 
Attornevs. 

Chicago.  December  28,  1897. 
To  Whom  It  Mav  Concern: 

This  is  to  certify  that  1  have  known 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for  seven  years  past. 
He  has  been  a  police  officer  in  the  Chicago 
department  for  a  number  of  years,  and  during 
my  terra  as  state's  attorney  of  Cook  county  I 
have  found  him  to  be  one  of  the  most  effi- 
cient o£Scers  in  the  department.  He  has 
thorough  knowledge  of  evidence  and  is  an  expert  in  preparing  a  criminal 
case  for  trial. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain, 

Very  respectfully 


JACOB    J.   KERN. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 

DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Office  of  Genekal  Si;rERiNr£NDENT. 

Chicago.  111.,  May  9.  1901. 
To  Whom  It  May  Co.ncern: 

Having   known   Detective  Officer  Clifton 
R.    Wooldridge   ofi&cially  since    1893.    I    take 
pleasure   in   testifying  to  his  fidelity  and  effi-_ 
ciency  in  the  performance  of  his  duty. 

Such  qualities  has  he  displayed  that  he  is 
usually  detailed  on  police  work  requiring  intel- 
ligence,   persistence,  and    integrity.       He  is 
working  out  of  my  office. 
'  Officer  Wooldridge  is  the  special  aversion  of  the  criminal  element,  and 
when  he  is  assigned  to  any  particular  line  of  police  work,  I  am  satisfied  that 
the  very  best  possible  results  will  be  accomplished. 


FRANCIS  o'nEILU 


General  Superintendent  of  Police 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 

DEPARTMENT  OF   POLICE. 

Office  op  General  Superintendent 

Chicago,  III.,  October  5,  1900. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

•  This  is  to  certify  that  I  have  known  Clif- 
ton R.  Wooldridge,  detective  officer  of  this 
department,  for  many  years.     I  have  always 
found  that  Officer  Wooldridge  could  be  abso- 
lutely   relied    upon     to    perform    any    duty 
assigned  to  him  in  an  intelligent  and  fearless 
manner.     He  has  an  exceedingly  good  record 
10  this  department,  and  I  feel  that  I  am  making  no  mistake  in  commending 
him  to  the  public    Bespeaking  for  him  your  kind  consideration  and  assuring 
you  all  my  appreciation  for  any  courtesy  extended,  I  am. 
Most  respectfully. 


JOSEPH    KIPLEV. 


Chief  of  Police. 


ROBERT  W.   MCLaUCHREY. 


OFFICE  OF  WARDEN 
ILLINOIS  STATE  PENITENTIARY. 

JoLiET.  February  j,  1898 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridce.  Chicago.  III. 

Dear  Sir : — Replying  to  your  inquiry  as  to 
my  recollection  of  your  record  as  a  police 
officer  in  Chicago  during  the  period  that  I 
served  as  general  superintendent  of  the  Chi- 
cago Police  Department,  I  beg  to  say  that  it 
was  first-class  in  every  respect.  I  recollect 
the  fact  that  you  were  detailed  specially  to 
work  in  the  levee  district  where  street  walk- 
ing, panel  houses,  and  the  worst  character  of  critne  prevailed,  and  where  you 
were  not  only  subject  to  bribes,  but  also  frequently  targets  of  perjurers  and 
scoundrels  of  every  degree.  You  came  out  from  every  ordeal  unscathed,  and 
maintained  a  character  for  integrity  and  fearlessness  in  the  discharge  of  your 
duties  that  warranted  the  highest  commendation.  If  my  endorsement  of 
your  services  and  character  is  worth  anything  to  you.  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
make  this  statement 

Respectfully  yours. 

Ex-Warden.  Illinois  State  Penitentiary,  Ex  General  Superintendent  of 
Chicago  Police,  and  present  Warden  of  United  States  Prison  at  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas. 


CITY  OP  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

December  30,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  VVooldbidi.e.  Chicago,  111. 

Dear  Sir : — I  lake  much  pleasure  in  add- 
ing my  name  to  the  very  many  others  who  are 
justly  commending  you  for  your  vigilance  and 
marked  success  in  the  apprehension  and  con- 
viction of  criminals,  during  your  connection 
with  the  Police  Department  While  at  the 
head  of  the  department,  I  found  that  you  were 
efficient  and  energetic,  and  so  far  as  I  have 
learned  from  observation  and  reports,  you  have  always  dischargtd  your 
duties  in  a  manner  highly  praiseworthy. 

Yours  very  respectfully. 


MICHAEL   BRENNA 


//^y^S^Jt^t-T"^*^^ 


Relired  Superlatendent"f  Polica  ' 


iOHN  J.  BADENOCH. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Office  of  General  Supekintendent. 

Apnl  10.  l8g7 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridoe,  Chicago.  111. 

Dear  Sir . — Before  I  retire  from  the  com- 
mand of  the  Police  Department,  I  desire  to 
thank  you  for  your  bravery  and  loyal  service 
as  a  police  officer  during  ray  administration. 
The  work  assigned  to  you  while  I  have  been 
at  the  head  of  the  department,  which  was 
that  o{  exterminating  the  panel  houses  which 
infested  the  leVee  district  and  of  suppressing  street  walking  and  gambling, 
has  been  well  done.  The  character  of  this  work  being  such  that  bribes 
were  frequently  offered  by  the  criminal  classes,  it  became  necessary  to 
select  men  of  perfect  integrity  for  the  service,  and  I  feel  it  due  to  you 
to  say  that  I  am  entirely  pleased  -with  the  way  in  which  you  have  carried  out 
the  instructions  of  this  department,  and  I  now  know  that  I  made  no  mistake 
in  selecting  you  for  this  trying  duty.  Recent  investigations  satisfy  me  thai 
you  have  succeeded  well,  and  therefore  it  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  com- 
mend you  for  your  bravery  and  fidelity  to  your  duties. 
Yours  respectfully, 

Ex-General  Superintendent  of  Police 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE 

October  29,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldriuce,  Chicago. 

Dear  Sir : — It  affords  me  great  pleasure 
to  testify  to  your  splendid  qualities  as  a  police 
officer.  I  knew  you  at  the  time  I  was  Super- 
intendent of  Police,  but  I  knew  you  better  at 
the  time  I  was  Inspector,  and  then  learned 
your  real  worth.  I  can  truthfully  state  that 
you  were  a  brave  and  efficient  officer,  devoted 
to  your  duties,  knew  no  fear,  never  faltered  in 
your  work,  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  honest  and  temperate, 
and  a  gentleman  in  all  that  the  word  conveys.     I  am. 

Very  truly  yours, 


fKEDRlCK    H.  MARSH. 


General  Superintendent  of  Police.  ' 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

January  26,  1898. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

Dear  Sir.— It  affords  me  great  pleasure 
to  add  my  testimony  to  that  of  many  other 
commanding  officers  of  this  department  as  to 
the  valuable  service  you  have  rendered  the 
City  of  Chicago  as  a  police  officer  in  ferreting 
out  crime  and  arresting  and  successfully  prose- 
cuting cFiminals.  Such  services  as  you  have 
.endered  this  city,  should  and  will  be  recognized  in  the  fature. 
Very  respectfully  yours, 


FREDERICK  EBERSOLD- 


-.a^^jTZ^y 


Retired  Superintendent  of  Police. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

February  16.  igot. 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

Dear  Sir: —  I  take  pleasure  in  saying  that 
during  your  long  service  in  the  Police  Depart- 
ment I  have  had  ample  opportunity  to  observe 
your  work  in  the  various  positions  I  have  held 
in  this  department,  namely:  Lieutenant,  Cap- 
tain. Inspector,  and  Assistant  General  Super- 
intendent of  Police.  I  have  been  intimately 
associated  with  you  and  know  that  in  the 
performance  of  your  dulics  you  have  no  peer.  The  particular  class  of  police 
work  which  has  fallen  to  your  share  is  the  most  odious  and  difficult  required 
of  an  officer,  and  the  fact  that  you  have  met  with  such  phenomenal  success, 
bears  testimony  of  your  ability  and  worth.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  speak  of 
you  in  this  way.  You  have  a  record  in  the  Chicago  Police  Department  which 
stands  unequaled. 

Very  respectfully. 


LYMAN   LEWIS. 


SC. 


Assistant  General  Superintendent  of  Polic» 


METROPOLITAN  DETECTIVE  AGENCY. 

Chicago,  April  4,  iSq3. 
Greetlno: 

It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  say  to 
whomever  may  be  concerned,  that  I  have 
known  Officer  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for  the 
post  six  years,  a  large  part  of  which  time  he 
was  undef  my  supervision  while  I  was  Inspec- 
tor and  Assistant  Chief  of  Police  of  the  Chicago 
Police  Department,  and  bis  very  thorough 
manner  of  performing  police  work  is  com- 
meiKlable  to  all  lovers  of  proper  and  rigid 
enforcement  of  the  city  ordinances  and  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

For  several  years  past  OfiBcer  Wooldridge  has  been  detailed  on  the  most 
repulsive  of  all  work  connected  with  the  Police  Department,  that  of  breaking 
up  the  female  houses  of  robbery  and  of  keeping  the  iiiraates  of  such  places 
ofT  the  streets.  His  success  on  this  detail  is  -well  known  and  will  ever  be 
appreciated  by  his  commanding  officers. 

Determined  persistency  and  never-ending  effort  on  the  part  ot  OfiBcer 
Wooldridge,  together  with  the  ability  he  invariably  displays  in  landing  per- 
petrators of  any  and  all  sorts  of  crimes,  has  placed  terror  in.  the 'bosoms  of  all 
wrong-doers  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact,  and  bis  labors  as  a  police 
officer  deserve  the  praise  of  all  upright  citizens.    Very  sincerely. 


AI.EX.    S.    ROSS. 


o<^<^.ti^ 


Ex-Assistant  General  Superintendent  of  Police. 


CITV  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

December  q.  1897. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concer.v: 

I,  the  undersigned,  hereby  certify  that  1 
have  known  Detective  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge 
personally  for  the  past  ten  years,  and  know 
him  to  be  an  efficient,  trustworthy  and  pains- 
taking officer,  and  one  in  whom  the  utmost 
confidence  can  be  safely  placed.  His  public 
record  in  this  department  is  convincing  proof 
of  the  truth  of  my  assertions.  I  can  and  do 
cheerfully  recommend  hira  for  favorable  consideration. 
Very  respectfully  yours. 


joiiv  n.  siir.\. 


^^^^mf<^'^c^ 


Inspector  of  PoUca. 


GBOkCB  W.    HUBBABD. 


CITY  OP  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

December  25,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge.  City. 

Dear  Sir  .—It  is  with  the  greatest  satis- 
faction that  I  notice  from  time  to  time  the 
many  arrests  credited  to  you,  and  the  success 
(ul  prosecution  of  noted  and  dangerous  crimi- 
nals. I  know  welj  the  many  evil  and  unscrup- 
ulous influences  that  confront  an  honest  -^cer 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  In  maintaining 
your  integrity  you  have  displayed  intelligence, 
impartiality,  and  incorruptibility.  The  lime  is  now  close  at  hand  when  such 
men  as  you  cannot  be  kept  down.  You  must  and  will  come  to  the  front.  I 
feel  it  an  honor  to  b«  able  to  say  that  I  was  General  Superintendent  of  Police 
when  yon  first  became  a  member  of  the  Police  Department.  Your  keen, 
honest  face,  prompt,  intelligent  speech,  quick  and  independent  manner  of 
action  were  enough  to  convince  any  one  that  you  were  qualified  for  any 
duty  to  which  you  might  be  assigned.  I  have  often  wished  that  I  had  a 
dozen  more  men  upon  whom  I  could  rely  as  implicitly  as  upon  you.  I  write 
this  letter  not  to  flatter  you,  but  to  encourage  you,  and  hope  that  some  day 
you  may  be  rewarded  according  to  your  merits. 

Yours  respectfully. 


Retired  Assistant  General  Superintendent  of  Police. 


CITY  Ol'  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

January  28,  tgoi. 
I  have  known  Detective  Officer  Clifton  R 
Wooldridge  for  about  ten  years  and  during  part 
o(  the  lime  he  worked  under  ray  command.  He 
is  temperate  in  his  habits  and  fearless  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  and  may  be  relied  upon 
to  perform  any  work  assigned  to  him  with 
good  judgment  and  ability.  As  an  officer  of 
this  department  he  bears  a  reputation  second 
to  none,  for  he  has  more  than  once  distin- 
guished himself  in  arresting  desperate  and  notorious  crimmals  at  the  risk  of 
bis  life.     It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  commend  him  to  the  public 

Very  respectfully, 

J.  E.  PTACEK. 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Police. 


CITY  OP  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

December  33,  169?. 
To  Whom  It  May  CoNrxRN: 

Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  was  under  my  com- 
mand for  .two  years  while  I  was  Captain  of 
Police  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  I 
have  always  found  him  to  be  an  efficient  offi- 
cer, absolutely  honest,  sober,  fearless  and 
trustworthy.  He  has  never  been  known  to 
shirk  any  duty  assigned  to  him  and  is  always 
willing  and  ready.  He  is  the  hardest  working 
police  officer  I  ever  knew,  and  I  cheerfully  recommend  him  to  the  favorable 
consideration  of  the  public.    - 

Very  respectfully  yours. 


JOHK  J.  HARTNETT. 


J^- 


M^a4:t;:vstt 


Inspector  First  Division. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 
/ 
April  4,  i8v8. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

I  have  known  Detective  Clifton  R.  Wool- 
dridge for  a  number  of  years,  the  greater  part 
of  which  time  he  served  und^r  me  while  I  was 
Chief  Inspector  of  the  Chicago  Pc^ice  Depart- 
ment, and  take  great  pleasure  in  stating  thaC 
he  is  undolibtedly  one  of  the  hardest  working 
and  most  painstaking  men  I  have  ever  seen  in 
the  police  station.  I  have  always  found  him 
willing  and  eager  to  take  tip  any  phase  of  criminal  prosecution,  and  his  invari- 
able success  at  running  to  earth  evil-doers  of  all  classes  has  brought  to  him  a 
most  enviable  reputation.  In  criminal  cases  with  which  he  was  connected,  he 
succeeded  and  tabulated  his  evidence  so  concisely  that  the  different  police 
justices  strongly  commend  his  manner  of  handling  criminals.  I  am  confident 
that  if  all  police  officers  would  follow  his  example  in  this  particular,  there 
would  be  a  notable  decrease  of  crime. 

Very  respectfully  years. 


•  E.   FITZPATRICK. 


^^zsr^ 


Ex-Inspector  of  Polio*, 


CITV  OF  CHICAGO 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

January  at,  i^t. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

This  is  to  certify  that  I  have  known' 
Detective  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for  a  number 
of  years.  During  his  long  service  in  the  Police 
Department  he  has  had  many  difficult  assign- 
jnents.  and  through  all  of  them  has  performed 
his  duties  in  a  remarkably  efficient  manner. 
Mr.  Wooldridge  is  an  officer  on  whom  can  be 
placed  any  responsibility  with  the  knowledge 
beforehand  that  he  can  be  relied  upon  to  do  his  full  duty.  It  gives  me  pleas- 
ure to  express  myself  as  to  the  worthiness  of  Mr.  Wooldridge,  and  I  bespeak 
for  bim  every  consideration  and  courtesy. 

Very  respectfully  yours. 


LUSE  kalas. 


CI>^^  "^^^^^^^ 


Inspector  Commanding  Fourth  Division. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO. 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

January  17,  1901. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

I  have  known  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for 
toe  last  ten  years.  As  a  police  officer  Mr. 
Wooldridge  is  par-excellence,  absolutely  with- 
out fear,  courteous  in  his  treatment  to  both 
superiors  and  inferiors,  prompt  to  obey,  and 
with  a  detective  ability  so  strongly  developed, 
it  almost  appealed  to  me  as  an  extra  "sense." 
In  fact,  he  has  what  is  known  in  police  circles 
as  "intuition,"  and  that  in  a  very  marked  degree.  If  I  wanted  to  secure  the 
arrest  of  a  desperate  man,  I  would  put  Mr.  Wooldridge  in  charge  of  the  case 
in  preference  to  any  one  I  know,  as  with  his  bravery  he  has  discretion.  Mr. 
Wooldridge  is  a  man  of  education,  refinement  and  consummate  ability.  He 
is  a  natural  bom  org^anizer  and  a  leader  of  men.  All  the  qualities  that  go  to 
make  up  and  constitute  a  successful  and  efficient  commanding  officer  are 
possessed  by  Mr.  Wooldridge. 

Very  respectfully  yours. 


NICHOLAS  HUNT. 


Inspector  Commanding^  Second  Division. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  May  i,  1892. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

Dear  Sir: — During  my  term  of  office  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station,  I  desire  to  say  that  in  the  performance  of  your 
duties  you  displayed  ability,  honesty  and  integrity  in  all  cases 
to  which  you  were  assigned.  I  have  always  found  you  prompt, 
fearless  and  incorruptible,  the  qualities  requisite  of  a  police  officer 
at  the  most  important  station  of  a  metropolis  like  Chicago.  Your 
heart  is  in  the  right  place,  and  while  I  have  always  found  you 
stern  and  persistent  in  the  pursuit  and  prosecution  of  criminals, 
you  were  ever  kind  and  considerate,  and  I  can  truthfully  say  that 
more  than  one  evildoer  was  helped  to  reform  and  was  given 
material  assistance  by  you. 

Very  respectfully, 

GEORGE  M.   SHIPPY, 

Captain  of  Police. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT   OF   POLICE. 

January  5,  1895. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

Dear  Sir: — Having  personally  known  you  for  the  past  six 
years,  I  had  special  opportunity  in  my  capacity  as  Captain  of 
Police  to  observe  your  work  and  intimately  know  your  conduct 
as  a  police  officer  and  a  guardian  of  life  and  property.  I  take 
pleasure  in  stating  that  I  have  always  found  you  to  be  an  honest, 
sober,  industrious  and  efficient  officer,  who  meritoriously  dis- 
charges his  duties,  together  with  exceptionally  good  judgment 
in  emergency,  and  accounts  of  heroism  are  on  record  in  the 
Police  Department  to  which  I  respectfully  refer,  and  state  thai 
you  are  one  of  the  best  and  cleverest  officers  in  the  department. 
Respectfully  yours, 

WALTER   M.   JENKINS, 

Captain  of  Police. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

I  February  13,  1901. 

Dear  Sir: — It  gives  me  pleasure  to  say  that  in  the  years  I 
have  served  in  this  department  I  have  never  seen  a  more  fearless 
officer  than  you  have  been.  Your  name  has  been  absolutely  free 
from  scandal,  and  your  work  in  time  of  danger  has  made  you 
nothing  short  of  a  hero.  As  a  successful  detective  you  possess 
all  the  requisites,  which  include  sobriety,  a  clear  head,  good  judg- 
ment and  integrity  of  the  most  pronounced  type. 
Very  truly, 

A.  F.  CAMPBELL, 
Captain  Fifteenth  Precinct. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

January  5,  1895. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

Few  words  are  required  of  me  to  express  my  appreciation  of 
your  excellent  qualities  as  a  police  officer.  While  I  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  Stanton  Avenue  Station,  you  rendered  good  and 
valuable  service  to  the  department  and  the  public  of  Chicago. 
You  possess  those  qualities  which  go  to  make  up  an  efficient 
officer,  and  those  qualities  are  intelligence,  honesty,  sobriety,  re- 
liability and  trustworthiness.  I  have  never  known  you  to  shirk 
any  duty  to  which  you  were  assigned,  and  have  always  found 
you  willing  and  ready  for  any  kind  of  work. 
'  Very  respectfully, 

THOMAS  C.  KANE, 

Captain  of  Police. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

May   17,   1901. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern  : 

This  is  to  certify  that  I  have  known  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge 
as  a  police  officer  for  over  ten  years,  and  during  the  year  1896 
he  was  under  my  command. 

I  always  found  him  to  be  absolutely  fearless  in  the  discharge 
of  duty,  irreproachably  honest,  and  at  all  times  he  displayed  a 
thoroughly  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  duties  of  an  officer. 

He  is  possessed  of  great  detective  ability  and  may  be  relied 
jjpon  to  discharge  in  an  efficient  manner  any  task  assigned  to 
nim. 

MARTIN  HAYES, 
Captain,  Commanding  Third  District. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

May  I,  1897. 
This  is  to  testify  that  I  have  Igiown  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge 
for  the  past  five  years,  he  having  been  a  member  of  my  com- 
mand during  the  greater  part  of  that  time.  I  have  always  found 
him  to  be  a  trustworthy  and  efficient  officer,  and  I  cheerfully 
recommend  him  as  a  man  upon  whom  reliance  can  be  placed  in 
all  cases.  Very  respectfully, 

CHAS.  G.  KOCH, 
Captain,  Commanding  Second  District 


SI 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF   POLICE. 

January  20,   1898. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wcx)ldridge,  City. 

Dear  Sir: — During  the  six  years  in  which  I  was  intimately 
associated  with  you  in  the  Police  Department,  I  found  you  to  be 
without  exception  the  best  and  most  efficient  officer  in  the  service 
of  Chicago.  Your  police  record  will  prove  that  my  assertions  as 
£0  your  efficiency  are  entirely  true.  This  record  cannot  be  ex- 
celled by  any  member  of  any  police  force  in  the  country.  I  am 
glad  to  be  able  to  vouch  for  your  ability  and  integrity  as  an 
officer. 

MATHEW  HOMER, 
Captain  Third  Precinct. 


FROM   LIEUTENANTS  OF  POLICE. 


The  following  letters  from  the  lieutenants  of  police,  in 
the  City  of  Chicago,  under  whom  and  with  whom  De- 
tective Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  worked,  show  the  esteem 
in  which  he  is  held  by  them : 

CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  January  21,  1898. 
It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  testify  to  the  honesty,  integ- 
rity and  efficiency  of  Officer  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge.  My  acquain- 
tance with  him  covers  a  period  of  thirteen  years.  During  a  por- 
tion of  that  time  he  was  in  my  command,  and  I  have  always 
found  him  thoroughly  reliable,  competent  and  alert  in  everything 
pertaining  to  his  duty. 

Very  respectfully, 

CHAS.   C.  HEALY, 
Lieutenant  of  Police,  Eighteenth  Precinct. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  December  21,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  was  under  my  command  as^  de- 
tective and  patrolman  for  two  years,  and  it  gives  me  pleasure  to 
testify  to  his  ability  and  good  character.  He  at  all  times  shows 
the  citizens  of  Chicago  and  his  superior  officers  that  he  realizes 
what  are  the  proper  duties  of  a  police  officer.  He  is  worthy  of 
any  confidence  that  may  be  placed  in  him. 
Very  respectfully, 

WILLIAM  W.  CUDMORE, 
Lieutenant,  Commanding  Third  Precinct 
2^ 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

February  20,  1893. 
I  have  known  Police  Officer  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge   since 
1889,  and  he  was  under  my  command  for  two  years.     I  regard 
him  as  one  of  the  most  faithful,  trustworthy  and  efficient  men 
who  ever  traveled  under  me. 

Respectfully, 

AUGUST  C.  ARCH, 
Lieutenant  of  Police,  Second  Precinct. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

October  31,  1898. 
I  have  known  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  detective,  for  ten 
years,  and  take  pleasure  in  saying  that  he  is  an  honest,  sober  and 
clever  officer.  I  have  frequently  had  occa'sion  during  my  com- 
mand at  the  Second  Precinct  Station  to  congratulate  him  for 
his  excellent  police  work.  He  is  certainly  a  valuable  acquisition 
to  the  police  force.  Respectfully, 

JOHN  M.  COLLINS, 

Lieutenant  of  Police. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

November  i,  1897. 
It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  add  a  word  of  praise  for  Detective 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge.  I  have  known  him  for  the  past  eight 
years;  have  traveled  by  his  side,  did  detective  work  with  him, 
and  was  fortunate  to  have  him  in  my  command  at  the  Harrison 
Street  Police  Station.  I  never  knew  him  to  shirk  his  duty;  I 
never  heard  a  word  against  his  character. 
Respectfully, 

J.  A.  SMITH, 
Lieutenant,  Thirty-eighth  Precinct. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

August  28,  1898. 
It  affords  me  pleasure  to  testify  to  the  many  good  qualities 
possessed  by  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  as  a  police  officer.  I  have 
known  him  personally  for  the  past  seven  years,  and  I  have  always 
found  him  to  be  an  honest,  sober  and  efficient  officer,  who  dis- 
charged his  duties  unflinchingly.  He  is  known  as  a  fearless 
gHardian  of  the  peace,  as  well  as  a  careful  protector  of  the 
people's  lives  and  the  people's  property. 
Very  respectfully, 

"  TIMOTHY  BARRETT, 
Lieutenant  of  Second  Precinct. 
83 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

April  15,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Woolmudge,  City. 

Dear  Sir: — While  I  was  police  magistrate  at  the  Harrison 
Street  Police  Station  I  had  favorable  opportunity  and  frequent 
occasion  to  view  your  work  as  a  police  officer  in  this  department. 
I  feel  it  a  privilege  to  say  that  I  have  always  found  you  fear- 
less, active  and  efficient  and  one  of  the  cleverest  men  on  the 
force.  Knowing  the  many  hardships  and  obstacles  a  police  officer 
has  to  contend  with,  I  wish  to  give  special  commendation  to  your 
comprehension  of  your  duties,  and  the  manly  and  disinterested 
manner  in  which  you  execute  them. 

Very  truly  yours, 

GEORGE  W.  UNDERWOOD, 
Police  Magistrate. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 


December  13,  1897. 


To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

It  has  been  my  pleasure  to  know  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for 
the  last  ten  years.  During  two  years  of  this  time  I  served  as 
police  magistrate  at  the  Armory.  In  that  time  scarcely  a  day 
passed  during  which  he  would  not  appear  as  a  witness  before  me 
in  a  criminal  case,  and  I  had  advantageous  opportunity  to  ob- 
serve his  conduct  as  an  officer.  In  my  experience  for  five  years 
as  a  police  justice  I  never  met  a  more  efficient  officer  than  he. 
In  all  his  prosecutions  he  was  trustworthy,  fearless  and  honest, 
and  my  recollection  now  is  that  the  records  at  the  Armory  Sta- 
tion show  that  he  made  more  arrests  of  criminals  than  any  of 
those  on  the  roll.  He  seemed  to  have  but  one  object  in  view, 
and  that  was  to  do  his  duty  all  the  time. 
Very  respectfully, 

EDWARD  T.  GLENNON, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 


city  of  chicago, 
jjepartment  of 'police. 

December  4,  1897. 
I  have  known  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  personally  for  the  last 
ten  years,  and  can  say  without  hesitation  that  no  more  efficient 
officer  in  his  line  has  ever  been  on  the  force  in  this  city,  and 
his  secret-service  work  is  unequaled.  His  record  in  this  depart- 
ment is  an  enduring  testimonial  to  his  ability,  energy,  industry 
and  faithfulness.  Very  respectfully, 

M.  R.  M.  WALLACE, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

M 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  June  2,  1897. 
Mr.  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge,  City. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Having  recently  severed  my  connection  with 
the  Armory  Police  Station,  I  feel  called  upon  to  let  you  know 
in  this  manner  the  regard  I  have  for  you  as  an  officer  and  at- 
tache of  my  court.  The  efficient  work  done  by  one  officer  in 
the  first  district,  and  yourself  especially,  calls  for  unlimited 
praise.  Of  all  the  officers  who  came  before  me  with  their  pris- 
oners for  trial,  and  taking  in  consideration  the  large  number  of 
cases  in  which  you  were  interested,  you  always  appeared  to 
more  thoroughly  understand  your  case  and  to  have  better  evi- 
dence to  sustain  your  complaint  than  any  other  officer  reporting 
to  that  station.  The  dignity  and  reputation  of  police  courts  are 
largely  in  the  hands  and  control  of  the  officers  working  there- 
from, and  I  can  say  that  if  all  of  them  would  enter  into  the  de- 
tails of  their  work  with  the  interest  and  businesslike  manner 
you  have  always  displayed,  there  would  be  less  crime  and  more 
praise  for  the  police  force  of  Chicago. 
Very  truly, 

JOHN  RICHARDSON, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

February  30,  1898. 
Officer  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  worked  under  my  command 
at  the  Harrison  Street  Station  as  detective  during  the  period  of 
about  two  years,  and  I  can  safely  say  that  his  record  during 
that  time  has  rarely  been  equaled  and  never  excelled  by  anyone 
in  this  department.  Very  respectfully, 

LOUIS  GOLDEN, 
Lieutenant,  Second  Precinct. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  December  13,  1897. 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  was  under  my  command  for  about 
one  year  as  a  police  officer.  During  that  time  I  found  him  a 
thoroughly  reliable  man  in  every  respect.  He  was  always 
straightforward  in  all  his  dealings  and  at  all  times  reliable.  I 
consider  him  one  of  the  best  officers  in  the  department. 
Very  truly  yours. 

GEORGE  A.  BENGLEY,  ^ 
Ex-Lieutenant  of  Police. 


86 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF   POLICE. 

December   13,   1897. 
To  THE  Public: 

I  have  known  Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  for  the  past  ten  years. 
When  I  was  magistrate  at  the  Armory  I  had  special  opportunity 
to  become  well  acquainted  with  him,  and  have  watched  him  and 
his  actions  and  work  for  years.  There  are  some  men  on  the 
police  force  for  whom  too  much  good  cannot  be  said,  and  he  is 
one  of  them.  He  has  no  superiors  and  few  equals.  As  an  officer 
he  is  absolutely  honest,  sober,  fearless  and  trustworthy.  He  has 
made  a  record  for  himself  through  his  acts  of  kindness,  deeds  of 
heroism  and  good  police  work.  He  has  served  this  state  and  city 
faithfully,  and  it  gives  me  pleasure  to  add  my  testimony  to  his 
worth  and  merits.  Very  respectfully, 

THOS.  BRADWELL, 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 


CITY  OF  CHICAGO, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE. 

Chicago,  December  28,  1897. 
Clifton  R.  Wooldridge  served  under  me  as  a  patrolman  for 
a  period  of  three  years  at  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station, 
and  was  always  an  able  and  efficient  officer,  and  thoroughly  fear- 
less in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Very  respectfully, 

JOHN  R.  BONFIELD, 
Lieutenant  of  Second   Precinct 


Table  of  Contents. 


Page. 
Preface.. 5 

Testimonials 20 

Biography  of  the  Author. .     31 

Saved  Five  Lives Z7 

Panel  Houses 40 

Emma    Ford,    the    Levee 

Terror 47 

Desperate   Encounter   with 

Robbers 56 

Rescued  a  Young  Girl....     59 

Arrests  a  Safe  Blower 60 

All  Were  Moved  to  Tears.  62 

Take  Them  for  Jays 66 

Makes    Dive-Keepers    Re- 
spect Him 69 

Five  Hundred  Caught  in  a 

Raid 74 

Women  Smoked  Out 79 

Traces    a    Murderer 80 

Captures     Gang     of     Boy 

Thieves 83 

Found  Him  in  a  Trunk...     85 

Detective  an  Aeronaut 89 

Confidence    Games 91 

Was  a  Victim  of  the  Graft- 
ers     112 

Had  a  Winter  Roof  Gar- 
den    113 

Robbers    Show    No    Sym- 
pathy    115 

Rides  a  Thief  to  Jail 120 

Paid  for  His  Own  Extras  129 
Devils  in  Sheep's  Clothing  131 
A  Brave  and  Heroic  Act. .  134 
He  Yielded  to  Temptation  134 
Mystery  of  Rose  Wallace.  137 
Lost  Morals  and  Money. .  150 

Too   Much  Jones 152 

Mary   Hastings*   Career. . .  153 


Page. 
Pumped  Lead  at  Him....  172 
Chain   Saves  His  Life....  175 
Saved  Family  from  Starva- 
tion     180 

Found  Their  Match 185 

Hid  the  Money  in  Her  Hair  187 
Detective  Plays  the  Dude  188 
Shoots  a  Gambling  King. .  191 
Closes  School  for  Crime..  195 
Veteran     is     Robbed     and 

Beaten 199 

Ostrich    Feather    Gives    a 

Clue 201 

Use  a  Tunnel  to  Escape..  203 
Too  Much  Revenge.......  206 

Spider  and  the  Fly 208 

Opium   and   Its  Evils 210 

Interested  Whole  World.  223 
Whiskey  Made  Him  Steal  248 
Girl  Enticed  from  Home.  249 
Crook  in  a  Farmer's  Garb  250 
Thieves  Slug  a  Farmer...,  252 
Terror  of  Clark  Street. .  253 
Fled  Across  the  Continent  256 
A  Desperate  Encounter. .  262 
Long    Term     for     Bicycle 

Thief 26s 

Breaks  Up  a  Cock  Fight.  266 
Resort   to    Fire    Escape...  269 
Ruffian  Assaults  a  Child..  272 
Purse    Snatcher    is    Pun- 
ished    275 

Footprints  in  the  Snow . .  lyd 
Catches   Three    Burglars..  278 

Shot  by  a  Maniac 280 

Joke  on  a  Police  Justice.  .  283 
Prevents  a  Safe  Robbery  285 
Jealousy  Causes  a  Murder  287 
Used  a  Horse  and  Tackle  289 


CONTENTS 


Page. 
Highway  Robber  is  Caught  292 
Cleans  Out  a  Poolroom. .  294 
Preacher  Goes  to  Prison. .  299 
Lands  a  Thief  in  Prison. .  300 

Fought  for  His  Life 303 

Noted  Female  Bandit....  305 
Cleans  Out  "Coon  Hollow"  312 
Wore  a  Gainsborough  Hat  319 
Gives    Detective    a    Black 

Eye 322 

Cat  Unearths  a   Murder. .  323 

Thieves   Give   Clews 329 

Clever   Counterfeiters   Are 

Caught 334 

Ran  a  Fake  Poolroom...  2i2i7 
Lake  Front  Park  Raided. .  344 
Recovers  Stolen  Passes...  346 
Woman  Robs  a  Soldier. . .  349 

Rescues  a  Stranger 352 

Makes  a  High  Dive 353 

Harrison    Street    Station. .  355 
Lottery  Companies  Raided  365 
Mob   Follows   a    Prisoner.  370 
Woman  Murders  Compan- 
ion   y7'2 

Clever  Tool   Thief  Caught  376 

Birds   Give  Alarm 377 

The  Negro  and  His  Razor  379 

Prevents  a  Burglary 380 

Mob  Clamors  for  a  Thief  383 
Four  Well-known  Officers  383 
History  of  the  State  Street 

Terror 385 

He  Saved  His  Star 388 

Could  Not  Stop  a  Wedding  389 

Murder   Will   Out 393 

Burglar  in  Woman's  Cloth- 
ing   395 

Tries  to  Hide  Her  Shame  396 
Women  Gamble  in  Stocks  399 


Page. 

Girls  in  Bondage 401 

Not     So     Green     As     He 

Looks 403 

Robbed  of  $5,000 404 

He  Used  Bogus  Checks. .  405 
All  Thieves  Are  Desperate  408 
Officer  is  Roughly  Handled  410 
Tries  to  Rob  the  Detective  413 
Tried  to  Dodge  the  Camera  415 
Smoked  in  the  Street....  416 
Ambitious  "Pony"  Moore.  418 
Pake  Investment  Compa- 
nies      426 

Detective  as  a  Ragpicker.  431 
Leads   in    Strike   Duty....  440 

Was   Not   a    Marine 446 

Villain   at    Last    Convicted  450 
Detective  Turns  the  Tables  454 
Justice   Overtakes   an   Un- 
grateful Man 458 

Clever  Capture  of  a  Clerk  459 
Shoplifters  Are  Caught...  464 
"Stalled"  for  Two  Robbers  466 
Colored  Robbers  Caught. .  468 
Thirty-Seven     Thugs    Are 

Caught 470 

Robbers    Wear    Out    Wit- 
ness     471 

Tried   to   Corner    Chewing 

Gum 476 

New  Way  to  Rob 479 

Rifled    the   Letters 481 

He  Painted  the  Windows  482 
Troublesome       Box       Car 

Thieves 485 

Two   Policemen   Sentenced  487 

Passion    for   Robbery 491 

Raid  on  a   Steamboat 494 

Took  Desperate  Chances.  496 
Ticker  in  the  Ice  Box 498 


Index  to  Illustrations. 


\  Page. 

The   Rescue 30 

Interior  View  of  Panel   House 41 

Making  the  Arrest 60 

Detectives   Dressed   as    Cattlemen 67 

Raiding  a   Bucket   Shop 76 

Was  Hid  in  a  Trunk 87 

Hoisted  in  a  Barrel 90 

Seven    Different    Confidence   Games 97 

Shivering  on  the  Roof ; 114 

On    the    Prisoner's    Shoulders 121 

Putting   on   the   Extras 130 

Incidents  at  the   Police  Station 140 

Escaping  from  Den  of  Vice I55 

"Drop  that  Gun,  or  You  are  a  Dead  Man!" 168 

The  Battle  with  the  Robbers 174 

The   Shooting  in  the  Hallway 177 

Scene  of  the    Shooting 193 

Tunnel  Under   Panel  House 204 

Party  of  Smokers  in  a  Chinese  Opium  Joint 212 

The  Chinaman's  Recreation 217 

The  Attempt  to  Escape  in  Toronto 234 

Climbing    the    Fire    Escape 270 

Girl  Making  Her  Escape 273 

Night  Scenes  on  the  Levee 314 

Whitening    Her    Face 320 

"  Pony  "    Moore. 419 


BIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


CLIFTON  R.  WOOLDRIDGE  was  bom  February 
25,  1854,  in  Franklin  county,  Kentucky.  He  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  and  then  start- 
ed out  in  the  world  to  shift  for  himself.  From  1868  to 
1871,  he  held  the  position  of  shipping  clerk  and  collector 
for  the  Washington  Foundry  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 
Severing  his  connection  with  that  company,  he  went  to 
Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  attached  to  the  United 
States  Signal  Bureau  from  March  i,  1871,  to  December 
5,  1872.  He  then  took  up  the  business  of  railroading, 
and  for  the  following  nine  years  occupied  positions  as 
fireman,  brakeman,  switchman,  conductor  and  general 
yard  master. 

When  the  gold  fever  broke  out  in  the  Black  Hills 
in  1879,  Mr.  Wooldridge  along  with  many  others  went 
to  that  region  to  better  his  fortune.  Six  months  later 
he  joined  the  engineering  corps  of  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  railroad  and  assisted  in  locating  the  line  from 
Canon  City  to  Leadville,  as  well  as  several  of  the 
branches.  The  work  was  not  only  very  difficult,  but 
very  dangerous,  and  at  times,  when  he  was  assisting  in 
locating  the  line  through  the  Royal  Gorge  in  the  Grand 
Canon  of  the  Arkansas,  he  was  suspended  from  a  rope, 
which  ran  from  the  peak  of  one  cliff  to  the  other,  with 
his  surveying  instruments  strapped  to  his  back.  This 
gorge  is  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  bottom  and  seventy  feet 

31 


32  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

wide  at  the  top,  the  walls  of  solid  rock  rising  three  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  level  of  the  river  below.  The  work 
was  slow  and  required  a  great  deal  of  skill,  but  it  was 
accomplished  successfully. 

Mr.  Wooldridge  went  to  Denver  in  1880  and  engaged 
in  contracting  and  mining  the  following  eighteen  months. 
He  then  took  a  position  as  engineer  and  foreman  of  the 
Denver  Daily  Republican,  where  he  remained  until  May 
29,  1883.  The  following  August  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  took  a  position  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  railway.  In  1886,  he  severed  his  connection 
with  the  railroad  and  founded  the  "Switchman's  Jour- 
nal," He  conducted  and  edited  the  paper  until  May  26th, 
when  he  was  burned  out,  together  with  the  firm  of  Dono- 
hue  &  Henneberry,  at  the  corner  of  Congress  street  and 
Wabash  avenue,  as  well  as  many  other  business  houses 
in  that  locality,  entailing  a  loss  of  nearly  $1,000,000. 
Thus  the  savings  of  many  years  were  swept  away,  leav- 
ing him  penniless  and  in  debt.  He  again  turned  his  at- 
tention to  railroading  and  secured  a  position  with  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  railroad  and  had  accu- 
mulated enough  money  to  pay  the  indebtedness  which 
resulted  from  the  fire,  when  the  great  strike  was  inaug- 
urated on  that  road  in  February,  1888.  The  strike  in- 
cluded engineers,  firemen  and  switchmen,  and  continued 
nearly  a  year.  On  October  5th  of  that  year  Mr.  Wool- 
dridge made  application  for  a  position  on  the  Chicago 
police  force,  and  having  the  highest  endorsements,  he  was 
appointed  and  al'^g^ned  to  the  Desplaines  Street  Station. 
It  was  soon  discovered  that  Wooldridge  as  a  police 
officer  had  no  superiors  and  few  equals.  Neither  poli- 
tics, religion,  creed,  color,  or  nationality  obstructed  him 
in  the  performance  of  his  police  duties,  and  the  fact 


BIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR  3S 

was  demonstrated  and  conceded  times  without  number 
that  he  could  not  be  bought,  bribed,  or  intimidated. 
He  selected  for  his  motto,  "Right  wrongs  no  man;  equal 
justice  to  all."  His  superior  oihcers  soon  recognized  the 
fact  that  no  braver,  more  honest  or  efficient  police  officer 
ever  wore  a  star  or  carried  a  club. 

The  mass  of  records  on  file  in  the  police  headquarters 
and  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  criminal  court  demon- 
strate conclusively  that  he  has  made  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  records  of  any  police  officer  in  the  depart- 
ment. Up  to,  and  including,  July  i,  1901,  Mr.  Wool- 
dridge  saw  over  twelve  years  of  experience  and  train- 
ing in  active  police  work.  Ten  years  of  this  time  he 
was  located  in  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  Levee 
district,  a  territory  where  criminals  congregate  and 
where  crimes  of  all  degrees  are  committed.  The  fol- 
lowing brief  synopsis  shows  the  work  performed  by 
him: 

During  his  service  on  the  police  force  he  made  17,000 
arrests,  the  name,  date,  charge,  and  disposition  of  each 
case  being  accurately  kept  by  him.  Of  these  arrests, 
1,175  wt^re  made  on  criminal  charges,  and  125  of  these 
were  -convicted  and  sent  to  the  state  penitentiary.  From 
1,000  to  2,000  were  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction, 
while  from  3,000  to  5,000  paid  fines,  and  the  others  re- 
ceived jail  sentences.  During  this  time  he  recovered  lost 
and  stolen  property  to  the  value  of  $75,000,  which  was 
returned  to  the  owners  through  him  and  the  department. 
Seventy-five  girls  under  age  were  rescued  by  him  from 
houses  of  ill-fame  and  a  life  of  shame,  and  returned  to 
their  parents  or  guardians,  or  sent  to  the  Juvenile  School 
or  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd.  He  closed  and 
broke  up  fifty  opium  joints,  and  in  the  year  1896  closed 


84  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

fifty-two  panel  houses  that  were  then  in  operation  on 
the  levee.  During  the  months  of  October  and  Decem- 
ber, 1898,  he  closed  twenty  houses  of  prostitution  on 
Michigan  avenue,  and  in  the  same  months  closed  and 
broke  up  forty-five  panel  houses.  In  October,  1899, 
twenty-eight  panel  house  keepers  were,  through  the  ef- 
forts of  Mr.  Wooldridge,  indicted  and  convicted.  Fol- 
lowing this,  he  secured  ihe  indictment  of  the  landlords 
who  rented  the  houses.  This  last  stroke  broke  up  en- 
tirely the  panel  house  business  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Wooldridge's  criminal  knowledge  of  this  class 
of  people,  which  came  through  his  contact  with  them 
daily,  made  him  one  of  the  most  valuable  officers  in 
the  department.  It  is  well  known  in  police  circles  that 
he  has  refused  at  different  times  bribes  of  from  $500  to 
$4,000.  He  has  in  his  library  a  scrap-book  containing 
the  clippings  of  city  papers  and  police  bulletins  giving 
him  credit  for  criminal  arrests  and  convictions,  recovery 
of  stolen  property  and  meritorious  conduct,  which  will 
cover  a  space  of  130  square  feet. 

As  a  further  testimonial  to  his  worth  and  efficiency 
as  a^  police  officer,  Mr.  Wooldridge  has  complimentary 
letters  from  eight  general  superintendents  of  police, 
three  assistant  general  superintendents  of  police,  six  in- 
spectors, six  captains,  nine  lieutenants,  six  police  jus- 
tices, and  three  state's  attorneys.  He  also  has  letters 
from  the  superintendent  of  the  National  Bureau  of  Iden- 
tification and  the  superintendent  of  the  local  Bureau  of 
Identification,  besides  a  letter  from  the  mayor  of  Chi- 
cago, Carter  H.  Harrison,  and  from  the  Chief  of 
Detectives,  Luke  P.  Colleran. 

Mr.  Wooldridge  has  during  the  past  few  years  been 
working  out  of  the  office  of  the  General  Superintendeui" 


BIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR  35 

of  Police.  He  has  had  charge  of  a  detail  of  officers  in 
many  important  cases,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
the  great  building  trades  strike  of  1900,  in  which  60,000 
men  were  thrown  out  of  employment.  He  also  had 
charge  of  a  detail  of  men  in  the  Railway  Men's  Union 
strike  of  1894,  in  which  he  performed  valiant  services 
and  prevented  the  destruction  of  much  property.  Many 
other  similar  cases  might  be  mentioned,  such  as  being  at 
the  head  of  a  force  to  suppress  gambling,  pool  selling 
and  serious  infractions  of  the  law,  in  all  of  which  cases 
he  secured  results  which  were  so  satisfactory  to  the  city 
administration  and  the'  police  department  that  he  has 
been  continued  on  duty  from  the  office  of  the  Chief  of 
Police  ever  since. 

At  one  time  while  he  was  serving  the  city  as  patrolman 
he  was  recommended  by  his  superior  officers  for  the 
Carter  H.  Harrison  medal  for  meritorious  services  on 
■account  of  saving  the  lives  of  five  persons  from  a  fire, 
which  occurred  at  a  Clark  street  hotel.  He  has  been 
under  fire  from  criminals,  whom  he  has  attempted  to 
arrest,  innumerable  times  and  bears  the  scars  and  marks 
of  many  conflicts  with  desperate  men.  His  life  has 
been  threatened  hundreds  of  times  and  many  conspiracies 
have  been  made  to  kill  him,  but  in  all  cases  he  has 
escaped  serious  injuries  and  it  is  sometimes  said  in  the 
police  department  that  he  bears  a  charmed  life.  In  pre- 
senting this  work  to  the  public,  he  makes  no  claims 
beyond  his  merits  and  those  merits  are  supported  by  the 
state  and  city  records,  which  are  at  all  times  open  to 
the  inspection  of  everyone.  It  is  a  simple  history  of 
his  twelve  years'  connection  with  the  Chicago  police  force 
and  reveals  many  things  which  have  not  heretofore  been 


36  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

brought  to  light  in  the  execution  of  the  duties  of  police^ 
men  and  detectives. 

It  may  be  of  great  interest  to  some,  and  he  hopes 
it  may  be  of  sufficient  interest  to  engage  the  attention 
of  a  great  many  who  are  not  familiar  with  the  duties 
and  perils  attending  the  lives  of  officers  of  the  peace. 


Hands  Up!   In  the  World  of  Crime. 


SAVED  FIVE   LIVES. 

DETECTIVE  WOOLDRIDGE  RESCUES  THREE  WOMEN  AND  TWO 
CHILDREN  FROM  A  BURNING  BUILDING. 

Deeds  of  heroism  are  often  performed  by  officers 
while-  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  many  of  which 
are  soon  forgotten,  but  those  who  witnessed  the  daring 
rescue  of  three  women  and  two  children  from  a  burning 
building,  January  4,  1894,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
by  Detective  Wooldridge,  will  never  forget  that  act. 

This  incident  occurred  at  the  \yaverly  Hotel,  262  and 
264  Clark  street.  The  house  was  on  fire,  and  great 
clouds  of  smoke  were  bursting  from  every  window  and 
doorway.  Detective  Wooldridge  rushed  to  the  scene 
"as  quickly  as  possible.  Nearly  all  the  seventy-five 
guests  of  the  hotel  had  been  aroused  and  had  escaped. 
There  was  the  wildest  confusion  among  them  and  the 
crowd  which  gathered. 

Then  came  from  the  top  floor  of  the  building  a  feeble 
cry  of  "Help !"  It  was  learned  that  three  women  and 
two  children  were  imprisoned  by  the  smoke  and  flames. 
Their  only  chance  of  escape  was  by  means  of  a  set  of 
narrow  stairs  which  wound  around  the  elevator  shaft, 
and  to  attempt  to  leave  by  this  means  would  be  certain 
death  by  suffocation. 

87 


38  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Firemen  and  friends  of  the  imprisoned  and  helpless 
women  and  children  had  made  repeated  efforts  to  reach 
them,  but  each  time  they  were  driven  back  by  the  smoke 
and   flames. 

Wooldridge  took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance.  That 
feeble  cry  for  help  was  too  strong  an  appeal  to  his  man- 
hood to  be  unheeded,  even  if  he  went  to  the  rescue  at 
the  imminent  peril  of  his  life.  He  quickly  tied  a  silk 
handkerchief  over  his  mouth,  and,  dashing  through  the 
blinding  clouds  of  smoke,  he  stumbled  and  groped  his 
way  to  the  rooms  of  two  of  the  helpless  women.  He 
took  them  out,  and  in  a  short  time,  which  seemed  like  a 
century  to  him  and  the  anxious  watchers  below,  landed 
them,  more  dead  than  alive,  in  the  street,  where  they 
were  quickly  given  medical  attention  and  revived. 

Though  nearly  exhausted  from  the  efforts  and  half 
suffocated  with  the  smoke,  the  heroic  officer  had  not  fin- 
ished his  mission  of  mercy,  and  he  rushed  again  into 
the  burning  building  to  save  three  other  lives.  He  fought 
his  way  inch  by  inch  up  the  dark,  winding  stairway  on 
his  hands  and  knees,  until  he  reached  the  rooms  occu- 
pied by  Mrs.  E.  C.  Dwyer  and  her  two  children.  One 
of  the  children  was  five  years  old  and  the  other  was  a 
baby  only  three  months  of  age. 

The  serious  problem  of  getting  these  three  people- out 
of  the  burning  structure  presented  itself  to  the  detective, 
but  ther^  was  no  time  to  lose.  He  solved  it  quickly. 
The  two  children  were  placed  in  a  quilt,  the  four  corners 
of  which  were  diagonally  crossed  and  tied  together. 
The  detective  lifted  this  precious  bundle  and  slipped  his 
head  beneath  one  of  the  knots,  thus  fastening  the  chil- 
di'en  on  his  back.  Two  wet  towels  were  placed  over 
Mrs.  Dwyer's  mouth.     Then  he  took  her  hand  and  led 


40  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

her  down  through  the  bHnding,  suffocating  smoke,  grop- 
ing his  way,  step  by  step,  until  he  reached  the  street, 
where  he  fell  from  utter  exhaustion.  Wooldridge  was 
laid  up  several  days  from  the  effects  of  his  heroic  efforts, 
but  he  did  not  suffer  seriously  and  was  soon  on  duty 
again. 

Officer  Wooldridge  was  rewarded  for  his  actions  on 
this  occasion  by  a  recommendation  from  his  superior 
officers  for  the  Carter  H.  Harrison  medal  of  "Merito- 
rious Services."  While  Carter  H.  Harrison,  the  elder, 
was  mayor  of  Chicago,  he  gave  each  year  to  the  bravest 
officer  on  the  force  a  medal.  The  recipient  of  the  medal 
was  selected  according  to  his  record  by  the  chief  of 
police,  inspectors,  and  captains,  and  it  was  usually  pre- 
sented at  the  annual  review.  On  account  of  the  death 
of  the  mayor  that  year  the  medal  was  never  presented. 


PANEL  HOUSES. 

DESCRIPTION      OF     THOSE      NOTORIOUS      RESORTS      OF    VICE 

WHICH   WERE  BROKEN  UP  BY  DETfeCTIVE 

WOOLDRIDGE. 

So  much  has  been  said  in  the  public  press  about  "panel 
houses"  that  it  is  deemed  expedient  to  devote  a  few 
.pages  in  this  work  to  a  detailed  description  of  them. 
With  the  accompanying  illustration  it  is  believed  a  very 
clear  conception  can  be  had  of  them  by  the  reader. 

A  panel  house  is  the  invention  of  thieves  of  both  sexes, 
and  in  them  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been 
stolen  from  the  unsuspecting  victims  of  vicious  women. 
T't'^y  >Vwed  a  long  time  in  the  levee  district  of  Chicago, 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  PANEL  HOUSE. 


42  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

which  is  that  portion  of  the  city  bounded  by  the  river 
on  the  north,  Twenty-second  street  on  the  south,  Lake 
Michigan  on  the  east,  and  the  Chicago  river  on  the  west. 

The  poHce  gave  these  places  the  name  of  panel  houses, 
the  proprietors  calling  them  simply  houses  of  ill-repute 
or  sporting  houses.  A  panel  house  may  contain,  two  or 
more  rooms,  a  whole  flat,  or  an  entire  building,  and  is 
adapted  to  the  accommodation  of  a  few  or  a  large  num- 
ber of  visitors  or  victims  according  to  the  designs  of 
the  owner. 

The  rooms  for  guests  are  usually  small  in  dimension, 
and  contain  but  one  bed.  If  there  is  only  one  door,  holes 
are  bored  in  this,  in  order  that  every  move  of  the  visitor 
may  be  seen  by  some  one  on  the  outside,  to  whom  a 
signal  is  given  at  the  proper  time  to  enter  and  secure 
the  visitor's  money. 

This  signal  is  usually  given  by  a  movement  of  the 
hand  or  foot  of  the  companion  of  the  intended  victim. 

The  victim  is  always  told  to  lock  the  door  himself, 
which  he  does  and  is  satisfied  that  it  is  safe  and  securely 
fastened  against  intruders.  He  is  sadly  in  error,  how- 
ever, because  the  bolt  of  the  lock  can  be  worked  from 
the  outside.  This  is  done  by  the  use  of  a  small  nail 
dr  any  piece  of  metal  or  wood  which  will  fit  into  the 
slot  in  the  woodwork  of  the  door  where  the .  lock  is. 
This  slot  is  about  an  inch  and  a  half  long  and  one- 
sixteenth  of  an  inch  wide.  A  small  hole  has  been  made 
in  the  bolt  of  the  lock,  and  the  tumbler  or  spring  in  the 
lock,  which  is  operated  by  turning  the  key,  has  been 
partly  filed  away  to  permit  the  bolt  to  be  worked  back 
and  forth  by  the  use  of  the  nail  without  causing  the 
key  to  turn  or  to  make  any  noise. 


PANEL  HOUSES  43 

This  slot  in  the  door  is  so  small  that  it  can  never  be 
discovered  except  by  accident  or  close  inspection. 

The  hinges  of  the  door  have  been  well  oiled,  and  it 
is  opened  without  attracting  the  attention  of  the  victim, 
who  is  occupying  the  bed  at .  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room.  If  perchance  any  noise  is  made  by  the  thief,  the 
lights  are  instantly  extinguished  by  a  confederate,  and 
the  intended  victim  is  held  fast  until  the  thief  makes  hi.«', 
or  her  escape. 

If  no  noise  is  made  the  thief  gets  all  the  money  and 
valuables  to  be  found  and  goes  out  quietly,  and  the 
victim  upon  dressing  discovers  that  he  has  been  robbed. 
He  finds  the  door  securely  locked  and  knows  that  his 
companion  did  not  go  near  his  clothes,  and  therefore 
could  not  have  taken  his  money. 

Sometimes  he  is  induced  to  believe  that  he  was  robbed 
before  he  entered  the  place,  or  that  he  had  lost  his 
money,  and  goes  away  without  complaining  to  the  police. 
A  three-room  flat  with  doors  opening  into  each  other 
on  the  side  is  the  best  adapted  to  working  the  above 
described  panel  game.  Although  no  panels  are  used  in 
this  case,  it  is  included  in  what  is  known  as  panel  house 
robberies. 

Another  method  used  by  panel  house  keepers  is  to 
have  secret  closets  tuilt  in  their  rooms  in  which  the  thief 
conceals  herself  until  the  proper  opportunity  presents 
itself  to  rob  the  victim. 

Another  method,  and  the  one  which  gave  these  houses 
their  name,   is   a  moving  or  sliding  panel.     These  are' 
placed  ingeniously  in  the  walls  or  doors  and  are  operated 
by  secret  and  invisible  springs. 

These  panels  are  usually  concealed  by  pictures  or  cur- 
tains.    In   the    room   containing  these   panels,  there   is 


44  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

only  one  chair  or  sofa,  which  is  placed  against  the  wall 
or  door  beneath  the  panel.  This  is  done  for  the  purpose 
of  forcing  the  victim  to  place  his  clothes,  when  he  has 
undressed,  near  the  panel,  he  being  compelled  to  use  the 
sofa  or  chair  for  a  clothes  rack. 

The  thief  keeps  informed  of  everything  that  occurs 
in  the  room  by  peering  through  the  holes  in  the  wall 
or  door,  and  at  the  proper  time  quietly  slides  or  removes 
the  panel,  reaches  in  for  the  victim's  clothes,  rifles  them 
of  money  and  jewelry,  puts  them  back  in  their  place, 
and  when  the  poor  dupe  discovers  his  loss,  he  is  con- 
fronted by  a  mystery  which  he  is  unable  to  solve. 

In  some  cases  long  poles  are  used  to  get  the  victim's 
clothes.  If  they  are  by  accident  or  intention  laid  ofi 
beyond  reach  of  the  thief's  crafty  hand,  this  pole  with  a 
hook  frequently  accomplishes  the  designs  of  the  robber. 
Of  course,  in  every  case  the  plunder  is  divided  with  the 
companion  of  the  victim. 

The  lock  used  on  the  doors  of  these  rooms  is  the  en- 
terprise and  ingenuity  of  a  well-known  saloon  keeper 
who  at  one  time  owned  several  panel  houses.  He  sold 
a  number  of  these  locks  to  the  keepers  of  other  panel 
houses,  for  which  he  received  several  hundred  dollars 
each. 

In  cases  of  robbery  keepers  of  panel  houses  try  in 
many  ways  to  prevent  their  victim  from  complaining 
to  the  police.  One  of  these  plans  is  to  have  a  man  or 
boy  stationed  in  front  of  the  houses,  who  is  called  a 
trailer.  When  the  victim  of  robbery  leaves  the  house 
this  trailer  is  informed  by  signs  made  from  a  window, 
how  much  money  has  been  taken.  The  trailer  then  fol- 
lows the  victim,  and  if  it  is  ascertained  that  he  is  going 
to  the  police  station  he  is  intercepted  and  taken  back 


PANEL  HOUSES  45 

to  the  scene  of  the  robbery,  it  having  been  suggested 
that  he  may  be  able  to  get  some  of  his  money  back  or 
to  get  some  assistance.  If  it  is  found  that  the  victim  is 
a  stranger  in  the  city,  she  will  offer  to  procure  his  trans- 
portation to  his  home,  declaring  that  he  was  robbed  by 
an  outsider  and  protesting  that  she  could  not  possibly 
afford,  to  allow  such  a  thing  to  occur  in  her  house. 
Sometimes  this  stops  a  complaint  at  the  police  station, 
and  the  victim  leaves  the  city  a  poorer  but  wiser  man. 

To  show  the  vast  extent  to  which  this  panel  house 
thieving  is  carried,  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that 
$1,500,000  were  stolen  annually  in  1892,  1893  and  1894. 

Ten  thousand  dollars  have  been  taken  this  way  in 
the  levee  district  in  one  night,  and  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  cases  of  larceny  have  been  reported  to  the 
police  in  twenty-four  hours. 

Ten  thousand  dollars  have  been  offered  by  these  panel 
house  keepers  and  those  who  shared  their  ill-gotten  gains 
for  the  removal  of  Detective  Wooldridge  from  the  secret 
service  work  of  the  city.  These  thieves  often  had  the 
protection  of  a  certain  class  of  politicians,  and  it  is  said 
of  some  officials  also,  who  participated  in  the  profits  of 
their  highway  robbery. 

It  is  but  giving  credit  to  whom  it  belongs,  however, 
to  say  that  Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison,  during  his  sev- 
eral terms  as  the  city's  chief  executive,  gave  support 
and  encouragement  to  all  efforts  to  wipe  out  these  panel 
houses.  He,  like  other  good  citizens,  looked  upon  them 
as  a  burning  disgrace  and  a  low  form  of  lawlessness 
that  should  be  exterminated. 

Detective  Wooldridge,  in  his  vigilance  and  determina- 
tion, closed  fifty-two  of  these  panel  houses  in  1896.  He 
closed  and  broke  up  forty-five  of  these  places  in  the  lat- 


46  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

ter  part  of  1898,  and  in  1899  he  secured  the  indictment 
and  conviction  of  twenty-eight  panel  house  keepers  at 
one  time.  Following  this,  he  secured  the  indictment  of 
the  property  owners  who  rented  houses  to  these  thieves, 
and  this  last  stroke  put  an  end  to  the  panel  house  busi- 
ness in  Chicago. 

Through  the  excellent  work  of  Detective  Wooldridge, 
seven  of  the  toughest  strong-arm  footpad  women  in 
the  world  were  sent  to  the  penitentiary.  Their  thefts, 
according  to  the  police  records,  are  said  to  have  amount- 
ed to  $425,000.  The  names  of  the  women  follow :  Em- 
ma Ford,  Pearl  Smith,  Flossie  Moore,  Minnie  Shouse, 
Mary  White,  Alice  Kelly,  and  Mattie  Smith. 

The  names  and  addresses  of  the  twenty-eight  panel 
house  keepers  who  were  indicted  and  convicted  through 
the  efforts  of  detective  Wooldridge  are  given  below : 

NAME.  NO.  STREET. 

Maggie  Spencer 209  Plymouth   Place. 

Ed.    Speed    147  Plymouth  Place. 

Mamie  Johnson    147  Plymouth    Place. 

Lucy    Smith 374  S    Clark  Street. 

Gypsy  Vernon   374  S.   Clark  Street. 

Jessie  Woods  362  S.   Clark  Street. 

Delia  W^oods 364  S.   Clark  Street. 

Mary  Phillips    329  S.  State  Street. 

Laura  Mack  329  S.  State  Street. 

Ruby  Bennett    404  S.  Clark  Street. 

Emma  Dent   419  S.  State  Street. 

Pearl  White  396  S.  State  Street. 

Lizzie  Hall  480  S.  State  Street. 

Tillie   Madison    166  Custom  House   PI. 

Maggie  Grady  455  State   Street. 

Tillie*  Louis    455  State   Street. 

Maggie   Grady 49  Hubbard   Court. 

May  Marshall   , 49  Hubbard   Court. 

Lena  Shields   49  Hubbard  Court. 


EMMA  .FORD  41 

Sadie  Cair ,  196  Plymouth  Place. 

Hattie   Briggs   390  S.   Clark  Street. 

Hattie  Briggs   368  S.  Clark  Street. 

Lillian  Eastman    509  State    Street. 

Mamie  Mcrran  377  State   Street 

Nellie  Bly   

Mary  Summers 420  State  Street. 

Annie  Michael 1233  State  Street 

Jessie  Vernon  18  Harmon  Court. 


EMMA  FORD,  THE  LEVEE  TERROR. 

ARRESTED      BY     DETECTIVE     WOOLDRIDGE      AND      SENT      TO 
PRISON  FOR  TEN   YEARS. 

There  have  been  in  Chicago  many  criminals  and 
tough  characters,  both  men  and  women.  All  grades  of 
vice  and  lawlessness  have  held  sway  at  different  times, 
but  there  never  was  a  thief,  footpad,  highwayman,  rob- 
ber, burglar,  safeblower  who  was  more  desperate  and 
hardened  in  the  sins  of  the  levee  than  the  notorious 
negro  woman,  Emma  Ford. 

She  was  a  terror  to  the  police,  the  courts,  and  even 
to  her  associates.  She  was  so  steeped  in  crime  that 
even  while  in  prison  at  different  times  she  could  not 
control  her  desire  to  fight  or  steal.  It  was  her  occupa- 
tion ;  her  delight.  She  could  not  live  without  being 
engaged  continually  in  some  dishonest  or  lawless  act. 

In  this  respect  she  was  much  like  the  habitual  opium 
eater.  She  craved  for  crime,  and  if  the  opportunity 
for  it  did  not  come  her  way  she  would  go  out  and  look 
for  it.  She  has  been  arrested  hundreds  of  times.  She 
has  served  terms  in  prison,  until,  black  as  she  is,  she 
almost  shows  the  easily  distinguished  prison  pallor. 


48  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE- WORLD  OF  CRIME 

It  is  estimated  that  in  her  career  she  has  stolen  $ioo,- 
ooo.  She  has  done  as  much  perhaps  as  any  one  else  to 
make  the  levee  district  of  Chicago  famous. 

She  is  a  remarkable  specimen  of  physical .,  develop- 
ment. Six  feet  tall,  straight  as  an  arrow,  weighing 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  black  as  a  starless  midnight, 
she  looks  like  an  African  giantess.  She  has  muscles 
of  steel,  and  is  as  fearless  as  she  is  ferocious.  She 
dreaded  nothing,  and  was  always  ready  for  the  excite- 
ment of  a  highway  robbery  or  the  satisfaction  of  eluding 
an  officey.  She  would  never  submit  to  an  arrest  except 
at  the  point  of  a  revolver.  No  two  men  on  the  police 
force  were  strong  enough  to  handle  her,  and  she  was 
dreaded  by  all  of  them. 

Emma's  criminal  career  began  soon  after  she  was 
born.  She  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
where  her  mother  ran  one  of  the  worst  dives  in  that 
city.  It  was  called  the  White  Castle.  Crime  therefore 
came  easy  to  her,  and  she  proved  such  an  adept  pupil 
that,  before  she  was  out  of  her  teens,  the  black  giantess 
found  Nashville  too  warm  for  her.  She  wa's  placed  on 
a  train  together  with  her  sister,  Pearl  Smith,  and  told 
not  to  come  back  again. 

The  first  stop  made  by  the  colored  pair  was  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  where  they  both  were  arrested  for  robbery 
and  sent  to  Jefferson  City  penitentiary  for  one  year  each. 
They  next  turned  up  in  Chicago,  and  for  larceny  Emma 
Ford  was  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction  for  one  year, 
and  Pearl  Smith  to  the  Joliet  penitentiary  for  one  year. 
They  were  no  sooner  out,  however,  than  they  again 
got  into  trouble  for  holding  up  a  stockman,  at  the 
point  of  the  gun,  at  Custom  House  place  and  Taylor 


EMMA  FORD  49 

street,  while  the  man  was  on  his  way  to  a  train,  re- 
lieving him  of  a  large  amount  of  money. 

They  boarded  the  first  train  that  left  Chicago,  and 
were  next  heard  of  at  Denver,  where  they  attempted  to 
rob  a  ranchman,  who  gave  fight,  and  was  killed  by  them. 
Both  were  arrested,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be 
hanged,  but  they  succeeded  in  getting  a  new  trial,  and 
finally  secured  their  freedom  through  some  flaw  in  the 
law. 

The  acquittal  of  these  two  criminals  stirred  up  such 
a  storm  of  indignation  that  a  mob  was  at  once  organized 
with  the  intention  of  lynching  them.  Then  the  women 
began  a  mad  race  for  their  lives.  They  jumped  into  a 
carriage,  and  the  driver  was  told  to  "burn  the  street" 
to  the  railroad  depot.  Off  went  the  team  at  full 
speed.  The  mob  found  that  the  intended  victims 
had  flown,  and  it  started  in  pursuit.  The  driver 
lashed  his  horses  into  a  run,  and  the  vehicle  turned  the 
street  corners  on  two  wheels.  On  came  the  panting 
mob,  the  leaders  gaining  on  the  tired  horses.  The  depot 
was  reached  just  as  a  train  for  the  east  was  pulling  out. 
The  fleeing  women  jumped  from  the  carriage  and  caught 
the  railing  of  the  rear  platform  of  the  last  car  in  time 
to  escape  the  clutches  of  the  maddened  throng  which 
was  in  pursuit.  The  women  pulled  themselves  on  the 
car  just  as  the  would-be  lynchers  rushed  into  the  depot, 
and  thus  made  their  escape. 

Both  returned  to  Chicago  and  took  up  their  old  work 
of  robbery  on  the  levee. 

Detective  Wooldridge  has  arrested  this  Colossus  of 
the  levee  a  number  of  times,  but  it  always  took  one,  and 
sometimes  two,  revolvers  to  persuade  her  to  submit.  In 
1894,  Emma  Ford  and  Alice  Kelly  robbed  Perry  James, 


50  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

a  colored  porter  in  the  employ  of  A.  G.  Spalding  & 
Co.  James  was  born  in  the  West  India  islands,  ana 
he  had  traveled  all  over  the  world.  He  had  been  a  sailor 
and  served  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  where  he  was 
wounded  and  for  a  time  drew  a  pension,  but  with  all  this 
experience  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  these  two  female 
footpads.  On  the. day  of  the  robbery  he  had  drawn  his 
salary,  and  together  with  his  pension  he  intended  to 
make  a  payment  which  was  then  about  due  on  his  home. 
On  his  way  home  he  stepped  into  a  saloon  at  Harrison 
and  Dearborn  streets,  and  while  there  exposed  his  money, 
which  was  seen  by  the  two  women.  This  incited  the 
robbery  which  followed. 

James  reported  his  loss  to  Inspector  Lyman  Lewis  at 
the  Armory,  and  gave  a  minute  description  of  the 
women.  A  descriptive  state  warrant  was  procured,  and 
Detective  Wooldridge  was  sent  with  James  to  locate 
and  arrest  the  guilty  parties. 

From  the  descriptions  given  the  detective  suspected 
that  Emma  Ford  and  Alice  Kelly  had  committed  the 
robbery.  He  soon  located  the  Kelly  woman  and  ar- 
rested her. 

After  looking  for  two  hours  for  the  Ford  woman  he 
saw  her  some  four  hundred  feet  away.  She  also  saw 
him  and  made  an  effort  to  escape  by  running  into  120 
Plymouth  place,  where  she  had  a  room.  She  was  closely 
followed  by  Wooldridge  and  James,  and  the  building 
was  searched  from  ground  floor  to  garret,  but  without 
avail.  They  were  about  to  give  up  the  search,  when, 
while  passing  through  the  hall  which  led  out  to  the  street, 
Wooldridge's  eyes  caught  something  that  seemed  to 
move  in  the  wall.     Upon  investigation  it  proved  to  be 


EMMA  FORD  51 

a  blind  panel  door  which  led  into  a  closet,  and  in  this 
closet  Emma  was  found. 

When  discovered,  she  stepped  forth,  her  eyes  shining 
like  balls  of  fire,  with  head  erect  and  every  nerve  strung 
to  its  fullest  tension.  She  looked  for  all  the  world  like 
a  ferocious  lion.  She  demanded  in  a  loud  tone  what 
was  wanted,  and  when  told  they  had  a  warrant  for  her 

arrest,  she  replied,  "Go  to  h 1  with  your  warrant, 

you  can't  arrest  me,"  and  she  made  a  spring  to  get 
away. 

Wooldridge,  however,  caught  her  by  the  collar  and 
sleeve  of  her  dress  and  everything  was  stripped  from 
her  body  from  neck  to  waist  on  one  side,  and  in  several 
bounds  she  reached  her  room  at  the  end  of  the  hall, 
twenty-five  feet  away,  closely  followed  by  the  detective. 

Emma,  and  her  sister  who  came  to  the  rescue,  at- 
tempted to  close  and  bar  the  door,  but  Wooldridge  placed 
his  foot  in  the  doorway,  and  then  the  women  tried  in 
vain.  The  officer's  clothing  was  torn  and  his  arm  and 
hand  badly  lacerated,  and  the  thick  soles  of  his  shoes 
were  so  mashed  up  that  he  never  could  wear  them  again. 

When  they  found  that  they  could  not  close  the  door, 
Emma  Ford  seized  an  iron  poker  three  feet  long,  and 
with  it  she  tried  to  brain  the  detective,  but  he  thrust  a 
revolver  in  her  face  before  she  had  a  chance  to  use  the 
poker,  and  then  she  weakened  and  threw,  the  poker  down. 
He  kept  her  covered  with  the  gun  and  finally  landed  her 
in  the  station. 

Pending  the  trial  of  this  case,  she  secured  bonds  and 
managed  to  rob  Frank  Adams,  Charles  Smith  and  C. 
Reid,  three  stockmen,  on  Custom  House  place.  Detect- 
ive Wooldridge  again  arrested  her.  She  resisted  and 
pulled  from  her  bosom  an  ugly-looking  dirk  with  a  blade 


52  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

nine  inches  long,  and  was  in  the  act  of  striking  him 
with  it ;  but  the  detective  discovered  her  intention  in 
time  to  avoid  the  blow,  and  shoved  two  guns  into  her 
face,  compelling  her  to  drop  the  knife.  She  was  again 
safely  landed  behind  the  bars.  Ex-State's  Attorney  W. 
S.  Elliott,  who  prosecuted  her,  now  holds  the  knife. 

The  three  stockm.en  followed  her  into  the  station,  and 
while  she  was  being  booked,  with  the  quickness  and 
agility  of  a  cat,  she  turned  on  Frank  Adams  and  filled 
his  eyes  with  cayenne  pepper  and  snuff,  nearly  blinding 
him. 

For  the  robbery  of  James  she  was  arraigned  for  trial 
on  April  25,  1892,  before  Judge  Frank  Baker,  found 
guilty  of  larceny  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for 
five  years.  She  was  also  arraigned  the  following  day 
on  an  additional  charge  of  larceny,  together  with  her 
sister,  and  again  found  guilty  before  the  same  judge. 
She  took  the  entire  blame  from  her  sister,  and  was  sen- 
tenced for  five  years  additional  in  the  penitentiary. 
Alice  Kelly  was  given  two  years  in  the  penitentiary  by 
the  same  judge  on  March  19. 

While  confined  in  the  county  jail,  she  amused  herself 
one  day  by  gathering  up  a  German  guard  and  immers- 
mg  him  in  a  water  trough  near  by. 

Several  months  later,  while  the  State  Senate  Commit- 
tee was  prosecuting  an  investigation  at  the  penitentiary, 
she  was  seized  with  one  of  her  mad  fits,  and  sailed  into 
the  laundry  women  with  flat  irons.  Six  or  eight  guards 
rushed  upon  her  and  she  was  overpowered.  It  was  then 
discovered  that  half  a  dozen  of  the  colored  women  were 
disfigured.  For  this  contretemps  she  was  placed  in  soli- 
tary confinement  for  weeks. 

Only  one  man,  of  the  large  number  she  has  robbed, 


EMMA  FORD  53 

aver  got  the  best  of  Emma  Ford.  Once  she  held  up 
a  cowboy  and  took  from  him  all  his  money,  amounting 
to  $150.  He  rushed  to  the  police  station  and  reported 
the  robbery.  The  officers  were  very  busy,  and  he  thought 
they  were  too  slow  in  sending  out  after  Emma. 

The  cowboy  was  in  a  hurry,  and  said  he  would  go 
aftet-  her  himself,  and  he  went  and  found  her.  She  was 
near  the  Polk  street  depot  when  he  saw  her. 

Walking  close  up  to  her,  he  pointed  two  big  six 
shooters  at  her  face. 

"You've  got  $150  of  my  money!  Now  shell  out,  nig- 
ger!" he  said. 

"Go  and  get  a  warrant  out  and  have  me  arrested, 
then,"  replied  the  big  colored  woman,  who  wanted  time 
to  hide  the  money. 

"These  are  good  enough  warrants  for  me,"  returned 
the  cowboy,  significantly,  as  he  poked  the  revolvers  a 
trifle  closer  to  her  face.  "Now  I'm  going  to  count 
twenty,  and  if  I  don't  see  my  money  coming  back  before 
I   reach  twenty,  I'll  let  go  both  guns." 

When  he  reached  eighteen,  Emma  weakened.  She 
drew  out  a  wad  and  held  it  out  toward  him.  But  the 
cowboy  was  wise  and  would  not  touch  the  roll  till  she 
had  walked  to  the  nearest  lamplight,  under  the  escort  of 
his  two  guns,  and  counted  out  the  $150. 

The  cowboy  then  returned  to  the  station,  told  the 
officers  what  he  had  accomplished,  and  treated  the  crowd. 

Emma  had  a  way  of  ingratiating  herself  into  the 
graces  of  her  jailers  by  her  brute  strength  and  smooth 
talk.  Even  while  in  jail  she  plies  her  trade,  merely  to 
"keep  in  trim,"  as  she  styles  it,  and  she  will  "touch" 
the  watches  and  jewelry  of  visitors  and  others.  She 
boasts  of  this,  too. 


54  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

While  in  the  Cook  county  jail,  she  once  robbed  the 
jailer's  assistant,  even  after  he  had  taken  precautionary 
measures.  F.  H.  Burmeister  was  the  assistant  jailer 
whom  she  robbed.  He  was  taking  Emma  and  another 
woman  from  the  jail  to  the  criminal  court  for  trial.  Hav- 
ing heard  of  the  reputation  his  big  prisoner  had  for 
picking  pockets,  he  told  her  that  he  would  button  his 
coat  in  order  that  she  might  not  "touch"  him.  When 
he  handed  his  prisoners  over  to  the  deputy  sheriff,  Emma 
Ford  called  him  back. 

"Come  here,  Mr.  Burmeister;  I  have  something  for 
you,"  she  said. 

The  guard  returned,  and  she  presented  him  with  his 
own  gold  watch.  In  going  downstairs  she  had  slipped 
her  hand  under  his  coat,  into  his  vest  pocket,  un- 
fastened his  watch,  and  placed  the  chain  latch  in  his 
pocket  without  his  knowledge. 

Another  one  of  her  boasts  is  the  robbery  of  former 
Jailer  Morris  while  he  was  taking  her  to  the  peniten- 
tiary to  serve  a  term  of  ten  years.  Speaking  of  this 
episode,  Emma  Ford  said : 

"Mr.  Morris  and  I  rode  in  the  same  seat  to  Joliet. 
I  thought  Fd  just  open  his  eyes,  so  I  copped  his  turnip. 
When  we  got  to  Joliet  I  says,  'My  goodness,  Fd  like  to 
know  what  time  it  is.'  Mr.  Morris  searched  his  pockets. 
No  watch.  He  looked  at  me,  but  I  swore  I  never  saw  it. 
I  told  him  that  perhaps  he  left  it  in  the  jail.  He  kept 
whining  about  it,  so  when  I  got  to  the  big  gate  at  the 
penitentiary,  I  says,  'Here,  Mister  Jailer,  is  your  watch. 
If  I  didn't  think  a  good  deal  of  you,  I  never  would  give 
it  to  you.' " 

When  arrested  in  Denver,  she  assaulted  a  jailer  and 


EMMA  FORD  55 

picked  him  up  by  the  whiskers.  Not  content  with  this, 
she  jerked  them  out  and  threw  the  hair  in  his  face. 

Emma  Ford  was  released  from  the  penitentiary  after 
serving  a  large  part  of  her  term.  She  at  once  returned 
to  Chicago  and  to  the  Ifevee  district,  but  she  found 
that  it  had  changed  very  much  during  the  long  years  she 
had  been  serving  the  state  as  laundress  at  Joliet.  She 
was  not  long,  however,  in  finding  some  of  her  old  associ- 
ates, nor  in  returning  to  her  old  tricks  of  fleecing 
strangers. 

On  March  27,  1899,  she  robbed  W.  S.  Duncan,  a  trav- 
eling man  from  Boston,  of  $42.  Mr.  Duncan  was  walk- 
ing to  the  Polk  street  depot  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
day  and  had  a  satchel  in  each  hand.  Emma  Ford  came 
up  behind  him,  threw  her  arms  around  his  shoulders  and 
hugged  him  so  tight  for  -a.  moment  that  he  was  almost 
breathless.  During  this  brief  demonstration  of  her 
strength  and  affection,  she  separated  the  traveling  man 
from  his  roll  of  bank  notes. 

She  was  arraigned  for  trial  twice  in  this  case.  The 
first  time  the  case  was  called  her  atttorney,  W.  S.  Elliott, 
who  was  state's  attorney  in  1892,  and  secured  her  con- 
viction, was  engaged  in  another  court,  and  it  was  passed. 
The  second  time  the  case  was  called,  w'nich  was  in  Sep- 
tember, 1899,  W.  S.  Duncan,  the  prosecuting  witness, 
was  brought  to  Chicago  from  Boston  to  testify,  but  just 
as  it  was  taken  up,  it  was  found  that  W.  S.  Elliott,  the 
attorney  for  the  defense,  had  secured  an  understanding 
with  Charles  S.  Deneen,  the  state's  attorney,  that  the 
case  should  not  be  called  until  he  returned  from  the 
East,  where  he  was  attending  the  Grand  Army  encamp- 
ment. 

Then  a  postponement  was  made  until  September  12, 


&6  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

when  it  was  discovered  that  Mr.  Duncan  had  to  go  Easi 
and  could  not  return  for  six  months.  Emma  was  en- 
titled to  a  trial  or  her  liberty,  at  this  term  of  court.  De- 
tective Wooldridge  advised  the  attorney  to  accept  a  prop- 
osition which  her  attorney  would  submit,  to  the  effect 
that  his  client  would  plead  guilty  and  take  a  sentence  of 
one  year  in  the  House  of  Correction. 

In  thirty  minutes  she  was  sentenced  by  Judge  Bren- 
tano,  and  that  ended  the  case. 

Emma  was  released  from  prison  in  September,  1900, 
and  immediately  went  back  to  her  old  life  of  crime  on 
the  levee.  She  was  arrested  again  in  December  for  rob- 
bing a  man  near  the  Polk  street  depot,  for  which  she 
was  held  to  the  grand  jury  and  indicted.  She  was  tried 
before  Judge  Smith,  and  on  January  2,  1901,  was  sen? 
ienced  to  another  year  in  the  House  of  Correction,  where 
she  is  at  present.  During  the  three  months  she  was  «■*■ 
liberty,  she  confessed  that  she  had  stolen  over  $400 


DESPERATE   ENCOUNTER    WITH    ROBBERS. 

TWO    MEN    CAPTURED    BY    THE    DETECTIVE    AFTER    A    HAEID 
FIGHT   AND   SPEEDY    RUN. 

When  the  mercury  stands  at  thirty  degrees  below  zero 
and  the  detective  has  a  long  and  difficult  night  assign- 
ment, he  is  put  to  one  of  those  tests  which  try  men's 
nerves  and  their  metal,  but  the  officer  who  thinks  of 
nothing  but  his  duty  does  not  permit  the  weather  to 
deter  him. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  traveling  a  beat  in  uniform 
during  one  of  the  coldest  nights  in  the  wmter  of  189I; 


DESPERATE  ENCOUNTER  WITH  ROBBERS       57 

when  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  found  a  drunken 
man  on  the  sidewalk  at  Thirty-third  and  State  streets. 
Efforts  of  the  officer  to  arouse  the  man  were  unsuccess- 
ful, and  he  at  f^rst  could  not  tell  whether  the  man  was 
drunk,  injured  or  freezing  to  death.  He  knew  that  if 
he  left  him  there  he  would  soon  freeze,  and  he  went  to 
a  patrol  box  across  the  street  and  called  the  patrol 
wagon. 

Wooldridge  had  just  recrossed  the  street,  when  two 
men  emerged  from  the  alley  going  north.  Both  of  them 
seemed  to  be  carrying  something  concealed  under  their 
clothes.  A  street  car  was  approaching  the  corner,  south 
bound,  at  a  rapid  rate.  Wooldridge  started  towards  the 
men  to  find  out  who  they  were,  where  they  came  from, 
and  why  they  came  out  of  the  alley  at  such  a  late  hour, 
and  also  what  it  was  they  had  concealed  about  them. 

The  two  men,  as  can  be  readily  conjectured,  had  not  the 
least  kind  of  a  desire  to  meet  such  an  officer  as  Wool- 
dridge, and  immediately  started  on  a  run  to  catch  the 
street  car. 

-  Wooldridge,  however,  closed  in  on  them  just  as  they 
were  boarding  the  car,  and  tried  his  best  to  stop  one 
of  them,  who  let  a  bottle  of  brandy  fall  just  as  he  was 
jumping  on  the  car.  The  car  was  crowded  at  the  time, 
and  they  forced  their  way  through,  jostling  the  passen- 
gers right  and  left  until  they  reached  the  front  platform 
and  found  Wooldridge  there  ready  with  the  "goods." 
They  immediately  whirled  about  and  started  back  for  the 
rear  platform .  The  passengers  in  the  car  were  again 
knocked  right  and  left  in  the  eagerness  of  the  men  to 
escape  the  officer.  But  when  they  reached  the  rear  of  the 
car,  Joseph  Keating,  one  of  the  two,  jumped  off  almost 
into  the  arms  of  Officer  Wooldridge. 


i8  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Keating  pulled  a  bottle  from  his  inside  coat  pocket 
and  struck  at  Wooldridge  with  such  force  that  the  bottle 
broke  off  at  the  neck  and  fell  to  the  street.  Officer 
Wooldridge,  however,  promptly  knocked  the  man  down 
with  his  club,  but  he  was  on  his  feet  in  a  second  and 
arose  with  another  bottle  of  liquor  which  he  tried  to  use 
on  the  officer  as  before,  but  the  latter  proved  too  quick 
for  him,  and  knocked  him  down  again  and  again,  break- 
ing his  bottle  to  pieces  and  raining  blow  after  blow  with 
his  club,  which  soon  subdued  him,  whereupon  he  sub- 
mitted to  arrest. 

The  wagon  rounded  the  corner  at  this  time  on  a  fast 
call  for  assistance,'  and  Keating  and  the  drunken  man 
were  both  placed  in  the  wagon. 

Keating's  partner,  Edward  Williams,  had  escaped.  But 
a  light  fall  of  snow  was  on  the  ground,  and  Wooldridge, 
leaving  Keating  and  the  drunken  man  with  the  wagon 
men,  followed  the  tracks  of  the  other  man  down  the  al- 
ley to  Thirty-third  street,  when  he  discovered  him  a  block 
away.  Wooldridge  bounded  to  the  other  side  of  the  street, 
and  having  rubbers  on,  made  no  noise  as  he  ran. 

The  first  thing  the  officer  did  was  to  drop  his  heavy 
overcoat,  belt,  and  club,  for  Wooldridge  came  from  old 
Kentucky,  where  they  raise  the  best  thoroughbred  running 
stock  in  the  v/orld,  and  he  went  into  the  chase  to  test 
both  the  endurance  and  speed  of  the  man  who  was  mak- 
ing his  escape. 

In  relating  his  experience  afterwards,  Wooldridge  said 
he  never  ran  so  fast  in  his  life,  and  in  describing  it,  he 
says :  "Trees,  lamp-posts,  and  houses  were  passed  so 
rapidly,  that  they  looked  like  teeth  in  a  fine  comb."  Will- 
iams, the  escaping  prisoner,  was  overtaken  at  Cottage 


resk^vtev  a  young  girl  5i» 

Grove  avenue  and  Thirty-third  street,  nearly  a  mile  from 
where  he  had  met  the  officer. 

He  was  taken  t( )  the  Stanton  Avenue  Police  Station, 
where  he  was  searched^  and  on  the  two  prisoners  were 
found  eight  bottles  of  brandy,  two  boxes  of  cigars,  one 
hundred  pennies,  and  a  door  key. 

Separating  and  placing  them  in  the  sweat-box,  one 
soon  weakened  and  confessed  to  entering  a  saloon  at 
Thirty-seventh  and  La  Salle  streets,  owned  by  McNally, 
taking  the  above  mentioned  goods,  and  also  exchanging 
their  clothes  with  the  saloon  keeper. 

They  were  held  to  the  grand  jury,  indicted,  and  ar- 
raigned for  trial  March  ii,  1892,  and  sentenced  to  one 
year  each  in  the  House  of  Correction. 


RESCUED  A  YOUNG  GIRL. 

In  1897  Detective  Wooldridge  discovered  that  a  young 
girl  was  being  kept  in  a  den  of  vice  in  an  alley  near  Har- 
mon Court  by  Irene  Moore.  He  at  once  rescued  her, 
and  she  was  sent  to  the  Erring  Woman's  Home  by  Justice 
Richardson.  It  developed  that  the  girl  was  Bessie  Henry, 
sixteen  years  old,  from  a  small  town  in  Indiana.  She 
was  an  orphan  and  had  been  living  with  her  aunt  and 
uncle,  but  the  latter  was  out  of  employment,  and  it  was 
decided  that  she  should  come  to  Chicago  and  seek  em- 
ployment. When  she  arrived  here  she  had  but  little 
money  left,  and  that  was  soon  gone.  She  then  found  shel- 
ter with  a  colored  woman  on  Third  avenue,  and  was 
taken  from  there  to  Irene  Moore's  house,  where  the  de- 
tective found  and  rescued  her. 


60 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


ARRESTS  A  SAFE  BLOWER. 

DETECTIVE  WHILE  HANGING  FROM  A  WINDOW  LEDGE  COM- 
PELS  A    MAN   TO   YIELD. 

While  the  police  of  the  whole  count'"y  were  looking  for 
Matt  Kelly,  a  notorious  and  expert  safe  blower.  Detective 
Wooldridge  located  and  arrested  him  May  17,  1895,  but 
it  was  only  after  a  thrilling  experience  for  the  officer. 


Cfosi  /"firtrif  wmtex 

Of  ttO^OIHIHCi  B<J'L  D'NC, 
Tn»OV<tP<  V^HIfH 
V^OOLtDlDdl  wfMT  TO 
AfCH  Af£lV 

(.tuiii  or  ofricit 


MAKING  THE  ARREST. 


Kelly  originally  came  from  St.  Louis,  where,  accord- 
ing to  his  own  statement,  he  had  killed  one  man  and 
seriously  wounded  two  policemen.  He  served  a  four 
years'  sentence  in  the  Missouri  state  penitentiary,  and 


ALL  MOVED  TO   TEARS  61 

had  been  released  only  a  short  time  when  he  capie  to 

Chicago. 

The  Chicago  officials  wanted  Kelly  on  a  charge  of  as- 
sault on  a  Mrs.  Sterling,  who  lived  on  State  street.  He 
had  been  located  at  41 1  State  street,  where  he  was  living 
with  a  woman. 

On  the  night  of  May  16,  1895,  Officer  Wooldridge,  ac- 
companied by  Officers  Kern,  O'Connor,  and  Cameron, 
went  to  this  place,  and  Officer  Wooldridge,  having  placed 
his  men  downstairs  in  proper  position,  went  upstairs  in 
search  of  the  man  for  whom  he  was  looking.  All  the 
doors  were  locked,  and  entering  the  next  building, 
Wooldridge  went  to  the  second  floor,  and  opening  a 
window,  crept  out  along  the  narrow  ledge  until  he 
reached  the  window  of  Kelly's  room.  He  pushed  up 
the  sash  and  was  faced  by  Kelly  and  the  woman. 

"Go  back  or  I  will  kill  you,"  said  Kelly,  as  he  thrust 
a  revolver  into  the  face  of  the  officer. 

Wooldridge  had  meanwhile  secured  a  good  hold  on' 
the  sill  of  the  window,  but  was  not  yet  in  a  position  to 
defend  himself,  and  the  woman  was  trying  her  best  to 
push  him  off.  She  succeeded  in  loosening  one  of  his 
hands,  and  for  an  instant  the  nervy  officer  thought  he 
would  have  to  fall. 

With  an  almost  superhuman  effort,  the  officer  raised 
himself,  and  drawing  his  revolver,  thrust  it  into  Kelly's 
face,  ordering  him  to  throw  up  his  hands.  Both  Kelly 
and  the  woman  yielded  without  further  resistance,  and 
Wooldridge  had  the  satisfaction  of  marching  his  pris- 
oners to  the  station. 

Kelly  was  a  blacksmith  by  profession,  made  his  own 
tools,  and  was  a  dangerous  crook.  He  served  one  term 
in  the  Joliet  penitentiary  for  house  breaking.    When  ar- 


62  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

raigned  for  the  assault  committed  in  Cliicago  he  was 
given  a  fine  of  $25  by  Justice  Brad  well. 


ALL  WERE  MOVED  TO  TEARS. 

PRISONER    TELLS    STORY    WHICH    DIMS   THE    EYES    OF   THE 
JUSTICE   AND   OFFICERS. 

Tears  are  seldom  seen  in  the  eyes  of  detectives  and 
magistrates,  but  when  one  of  Detective  -Wooldridge's 
prisoners  finished  his  story  in  the  Harrison  Street  Police 
Court,  nearly  every  eye  in  the  room  was  dimmed.  In 
1893  a  robbery  had  been  committed,  and  Wooldridge  ar- 
rested a  man  who  acted  suspiciously. 

When  the  man  was  taken  into  court  for  preliminary 
trial,  it  was  easy  enough  to  suspect  him  of  having  been 
guilty  of  a  crime.  He  seemed  to  sink  under  a  weight 
of  guilt.  The  magistrate,  addressing  the  prisoner,  asked 
him  a  few  questions,  and  then  turning  to  the  detective 
who  made  the  arrest,  he  inquired : 

"What  caused  you  to  suspect  this  man?" 

"Well,  your  honor,  he  happened  here  a  few  days 
ago,  before  the  robbery  was  committed,  and  being  of  a 
suspicious  character,  I  watched  him.  I  asked  him  his 
name  and  he  said  it  was  Brown,  but  shortly  afterward 
I  heard  it  was  Smith.  I  lost  sight  of  him  on  the  night 
of  the  robbery,  but  early  the  next  morning  I  saw  him 
trying  to  sneak  out  of  the  town,  so  I  thought  he  ought 
to  be  arrested." 

"I  think,"  replied  the  magistrate,  "that  you  acted 
rightly  in  making  the  arrest.    Now,"  turning  to  the  pris- 


ALL  MOVED  TO   TEARS  63 

oner,  "can  you  explain  your  conduct,  and  why  you  go 
under  two  names?" 

''Judge,  first  let  me  explain  why  I  have  two  names, 
and  that  will  explain  my  conduct.  Understand  now  thai 
I  do  not  ask  for  mercy.  That  time  has  passed.  I  am 
now  hardened.  I  will  not  detain  you  long,  but  I  ask 
you,  and  this  is  all  I  do  ask,  that  you  believe  me.  Two 
years  ago  I  was  the  master  mechanic  in  a  large  railway 
machine  shop.  I  received  good  wages,  and  my  family, 
consisting  of  a  wife  and  two  children,  lived  as  well  as 
any  family  in  town.  I  was  most  happily  married,  and 
.sometimes  at  evening  when  my  little  boy  climbed  up  and 
begged  me  to  tell  him  just  one  story,  I  wondered  if  such 
happiness  could  last. 

"One  day  I  was  discharged.  I  was  never  more  as- 
tonished in  my  life.  I  humbly  asked  the  cause  of  my 
dismissal,  and  was  grufifly  told  that  it  was  because  I  was 
not  wanted  any  longer.  They  should  have  given  me  no- 
tice, still  I  did  not  complain,  as  I  recognized  their  right 
to  employ  whom  they  pleased.  When  I  went  home  and 
told  my  wife,  she  put  her  arms  around  my  neck  and  said, 
'Never  mind,  dear,  you  can  soon  get  another  place.' 
The  very  next  day  I  started  out  in  search  of  work.  I  had 
spent  all  my  life  in  machine  shops,  and  could  do  no  other 
kind  of  work.  I  went  to  a  town  not  a  great  distance  away 
from  home,  and  applied  for  work. 

"  'I  believe  we  are  needing  a  man,'  said  the  superin- 
tendent.   'What  is  your  name?' 

"  'John  Smith,'  I  replied. 

"He  went  into  an  inner  office,  and  after  remaining  a 
few  minutes,  he  returned  and  said,  'No,  we  don't  want 
you.' 

"By  this  time  my  money  was  nearly  gone,  but  I  had  nol 


64  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

the  heart  to  write  home  for  more,  for  I  had  left  but 
enough,  all  I  had,  to  sustain  my  family  a  few  weeks.  I 
went  to  another  town,  certain  that  I  should  obtain  work, 
for  one  of  the  machine  shops  had  advertised  for  men. 
The  head  man  asked  me  my  name,  and  then,  pointing 
to  a  bench,  told  me  to  sit  down  and  wait  until  he  came 
back.  He  was  not  gone  long.  When  he  returned,  he  said : 

"  'Don't.want  you.' 

"  'My  dear  sir,'  I  replied,  'I  am  a  skillful  workman, 
and  only  ask  you  for  a  trial.  Then  if  my  work  don't 
suit  you,  I'll  leave.' 

"'You'll  leave  anyway,'  he  replied,  as  he  turned  away.- 

"By  this  time  my  money  was  exhausted,  but  I  could 
not  stop ;  I  must  push  my  way  onward.  I  wrote  to  my 
wife,  telling  her  that  I  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  work, 
but  I  thought  my  prospects  were  good.  I  told  her  to 
write  to  me,  giving  as  my  address  a  distant  town.  I  had 
hoped  to  get  over  the  road,  but  failed.  I  knew  why. 
A  prominent  railroad  official  told  the  engineers  not  to 
let  me  ride.  After  walking  many  miles,  I  reached  the 
town  and  applied  for  work. 

"  'We  don't  want  you,'  said  the  superintendent. 

"'Why?'  I  demanded. 

"  'Because  you  are  blacklisted.' 

"  'My  God,  man,  what  have  I  done  ?' 

"  'I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  care  a  damn ;  but  you  are 
blacklisted.' 

"I  went  to  the  postoffice.  I  found  a  letter  addressed 
in  an  unfamiliar  hand.  I  was  disappointed.  I  had  hoped/ 
to  receive  a  letter  from  my  wife.  Here  is  the  letter. 
Read  it,  judge." 

The  justice  read  as  follows :  "It  is  my  painful  duty  to 
write  this.    Your  wife  having  greatly  exposed  herself  in 


ALL  MOVED  TO  TEARS  65 

moving  from  the  house  which  belonged  to  a  railroad 
official,  she  had  to  move,  and  in  doing  so  contracted  a  se- 
vere cold  and  died  of  pneumonia.  Your  little  children  are 
at  my  house," 

"That  is  the  letter  I  received,  judge.  Several  weeks 
ago  I  heard  my  little  boy  was  dangerously  ill,  and  not 
expected  to  live.  I  dragged  myself  to  this  town,  where 
I  learned  that  my  little  girl  and  boy,  upon  whom  I  had 
centered  my  hopes,  had  died  of  diphtheria.  I  could  do 
nothing.  I  was  crushed  with  grief  and  broken  down 
with  despair.  Then  I  changed  my  name  so  that  I  might 
earn  money  enough  to  take  me  to  the  graves  of  my  wife 
and  children.  I  did  not  commit  the  robbery.  I  want  no 
lawyer.  I  leave  it  with  you.  As  I  previously  remarked, 
I  ask  for  no  mercy.  I  am  in  your  power.  Use  me  as  you 
will." 

The  old  magistrate,  a  man  who  spent  his  early  days 
at  the  anvil,  arose,  approached  the  prisoner,  pressed 
something  into  his  hand,  and  said : 

"God  knows  that  my  heart  bleeds  for  you.  When  you 
stand  over  the  graves  of  your  wife  and  children,  remem- 
ber an  old  man  who  has  seen  his  last  loved  one  buried." 

Wooldridge,  who  had  listened  as  attentively  to  the 
man's  story  as  the  judge,  asked  the  court  to  dismiss  the 
prisoner. 

When  the  stranger  stepped  outside,  Wooldridge  again 
arrested  him,  but  this  time  no  charges  were  made.  "Come 
with  me,"  he  said.  The  detective  took  his  prisoner  to  his 
own  house,  where  he  was  told  he  could  remain  free  of 
charge  until  he  found  work.  The  following  day  Wool- 
dridge succeeded  in  getting  the  stranger  a  good  position, 
which  he  still  holds,  although  his  salary  has  been  in- 
creased several  times. 


66  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


TAKE  THEM   FOR  JAYS. 

DETECTIVES    PATROL    THE    LEVEE   DISGUISED    AS    STOCKMEN 
AND    MAKE    MANY    ARRESTS. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  December  29,  1895, 
a  farmer  with  his  money  pinned  to  his  hat  might  have 
walked  on  the  levee  with  perfect  safety.  Even  the 
Twelfth  street  viaduct  was  as  quiet  and  peaceful  as  a 
graveyard.  This  desirable  state  of  affairs  was  brought 
about  by  Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  of  the 
Armory  Police  Station, 

On  the  evening  before  the  two  detectives  disguised 
themselves  as  Texas  ranchmen.  Dressed  in  long  bear- 
skin overcoats  and  sombreros,  they  sallied  forth  on  their 
crusade.  Wooldridge's  regulation  police  force  mustache 
was  also  appropriate  to  the  costume,  while  Schubert 
would  have  passed  anywhere  as  a  Rio  Grande  cattle 
king. 

The  ruse  was  a  perfect  one  and  worked  as  successfully 
as  molasses  coated  paper  in  fly  time.  Confidence  men, 
shell  workers,  and  sand-baggers  followed  them  like 
wolves  after  a  lone  prairie  traveler,  while  women  who 
are  known  as  "touchers"  decided  upon  the  style  of  their 
new  bonnets  as  soon  as  the  ranchmen  hove  in  sight. 

South  side  clothing  "cappers"  rubbed  their  hands  to- 
gether in  glee  when  the  detectives  passed  them,  offering 
them  every  inducement  to  come  in  and  buy.  By  midnight 
nearly  a  hundred  evil-doers  had  rushed  blindly  into  the 
hands  of  the  law,  while  the  patrol  wagon  was  kept  busy, 
conveying  those  who  were  arrested  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station. 


TOOK  THEM  FOR  JAYS 


67 


So  well  are  the  women  acquainted  with  the  appear- 
ance of  the  Harrison  street  detectives  that  they  keep  out 
of  their  way.  In  order  to  catch  this  class  of  criminals 
the  detectives  donned  their  disguise. 

After  leaving  the  Armory,  the  two  "cattle  drivers" 
were  not  molested  until  they  reached  the  thick  of  the 
woods  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clark  and   Polk  streets. 


DETECTIVES    DRESSED   AS   CATTLEMEN.  ' 

Here  they  were  accosted  by  a  party  of  colored  women! 
who  admired,  their  bearskin  coats.  One  of  the  numbed 
v/as  so  taken  with  Detective  Wooldridge's  costly  gar-» 
ment  that  in  inspecting  it  she  accidentally  slipped  her 
hand  into  the  officer's  pocket.  Wooldridge  opened  his" 
coat  and  displayed  his  star,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
woman  who  had  expected  "ready  money." 


68  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

After  the  wa^on  had  departed  with  the  prisoners,  the 
two  officers  walked  down  the  street.  At  the  viaduct  they 
were  met  by  a  good-natured  gentleman  who  was  glad 
to  see  them  and  was  perfectly  willing  to  take  them  to  the 
grand  display  of  fireworks  over  on  the  lake  front. 

Wooldridge  ''  'lowed  he'd  like  to  go,"  and  Schubert 
said  that  "seein'  as  how  their  train  wasn't  a-goin'  fur 
some  time,  he  would  like  to  go  hisself."  Upon  reaching 
the  nearest  electrical  connection,  the  "Texans"  changed 
their  minds  and  rang  for  the  patrol.  The  genial  man  was 
carted  to  the  Armory  and  the  officers  went  on  with  tKe 
good  work. 

The  next  one  to  walk  into  trouble  without  looking  for 
it  was  a  merry  "shell  man."  He  was  sure  the  "ranch- 
men" would  win  any  amount  of  money  if  they  were 
willing  to  risk  a  small  sum.  "You  know,  my  friends," 
said  he,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "nothing  ventured,  noth- 
ing won." 

"Yes,"  ventured  Wooldridge,  "that's  one  of  those 
rules  that  work  both  ways.  If  you  had  adopted  for  your- 
self the  motto,  'Nothing  ventured,  nothing  lost,'  you 
wouldn't  have  made  a  monkey  of  yourself.  You  may 
consider  yourself  under  arrest." 

It  was  some  time  before  the  "shell  man"  understood 
the  situation  and  he  declared,  as  the  wagon  left  with 
him,  that  it  was  the  cleverest  case  of  "con"  on  the  part 
of  detectives  that  he  had  ever  seen  worked. 

On  Wabash  avenue  and  Peck  court  the  officers  were 
singled  out  as  victims  by  Dollie  Hart,  who  is  considered 
one  of  the  most  skillful  panel  workers  in  the  city.  She 
discovered  her  mistake  when  it  was  too  late  and  found 
herself  the  victim. 

So  rushing  was  the  business  that  Detectives  Wool- 


MAKES  DIVE-KEEPERS  RESPECT   HIM  69 

dridge  and  Schubert  found  it  necessary  to  cail  for  as- 
sistance. They  were  reinforced  by  Detectives  Donovan, 
McNulty,  Daly,  McMahon,  Powers  and  Moriarty.  The 
latter  named,  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes,  stayed  in  the 
shade  and  took  care  of  those  arrested.  Fifteen  girls  were 
turned  over  to  them  at  one  time  and  the  combination 
looked  like  a  box  party  on  their  way  home  from  one  of 
the  theaters. 

The  crusade  was  kept  up  until  the  streets  were  cleared. 
Those  who  escaped  arrest  by  staying  in  hiding  after 
being  posted  by  friends,  were  too  frightened  to  show 
themselves  again  during  the  night. 

At  twelve  o'clock  not  a  piano  was  playing  on  the  levee. 
The  streets  were  deserted  and  peace  reigned  over  all, 
The  "standing  room  only"  sign  was  hung  up  at  the 
Armory  and  late  arrivals  were  hung  up  on  pegs.  Pro- 
fessional bailers  stood  around  in  the  general  office  and 
chuckled  to  themselves,  while  those  lawyers  who  can't 
leave  the  station  at  nightfall  were  filled  with  glee. 

The  novel  method  adopted  by  the  two  detectives  was 
a  good  one  and  farmers  could  have  walked  on  the  levee 
with  perfect  safety  for  many  a  day  thereafter. 


MAKES  DIVE-KEEPERS  RESPECT  HIM. 

DETECTIVE    HAS    WILLIAM    SMITH's    SALOON    LICENSES    RE- 
VOKED AND  CLOSES  A   CLARK  STREET   HOUSE. 

In  1892  Detective  Wooldridge  taught  the  levee  saloon 
keepers  a  lesson  they  will  never  forget  and  caused  them 
to  have  more  respect  for  him  than  they  were  wont  to 
show  to  police  officers. 


70  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

At  that  time  William  Smith,  a  brown-skinned  negro, 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  a  thief  and  gambler,  had  won 
the  affections  of  Hattie  Briggs,  who  was  over  six  feet 
tall,  weighed  two  hundred  and  twenty  pounds,  was  as 
blaok  as  a  stick  of  licorice,  old  enough  to  be  his  mother 
and  as  ugly  as  any  one  could  imagine. 

Hattie  conducted  a  low  dive,  thieving  joint  and  house 
of  ill- fame  at  388  Clark  street  and  another  at  120  Custom 
House  place.  It  was  a  poor  day  when  five  or  ten  cases 
of  robbery  or  larceny  did  not  occur  in  het  houses.  She 
was  raided  two  and  sometimes  three  times  a  day,  but 
she  cared  nothing  for  the  small  fines  imposed  on  her. 

Hattie  Briggs  started  William  Smith  in  the  saloon 
business  at  388  Clark  street  and  at  192  Custom  House 
place.  She  was  making  so  much  money  she  hardly  knew 
what  to  do  with  it  and  she  intended  if  the  wave  of  pros- 
perity continued,  to  buy  up  all  the  saloons  on  the  levee 
and  the  houses  of  prostitution,  as  well  as  control  the 
gambling,  elect  the  mayor,  control  the  city  council  and 
police  force. 

William  Smith's  head  was  "swelled"  worse  than  hers. 
He  was  on  April  28,  1892,  a  business  man,  liquor  mer- 
chant, sport,  politician,  and  dude.  He  wore  a  silk  hat, 
light  lavender  pants,  white  vest,  patent  leather  shoes  with 
white  gaiters  over  the  ankles,  a  gold  watch  with  massive 
chain,  diamond  studs  and  finger  rings,  carried  a  gold 
toothpick  behind  his  ear,  four  different  colored  pencils 
in  his  vest  pocket,  and  had  a  messenger  boy,  in  uniform, 
to  carry  his  orders  and  messages.  Smith  conducted  two 
of  the  most  disreputable  saloons  in  Chicago,  which  were 
patronized  by  the  strong-arm  women,  thieves,  panel 
workers,  grafters,  and  people  of  questionable  character. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  at  this  time  traveling  from 


MAKES   DIVE-KEEPERS  RESPECT   HIM  71 

the  Harrison  Street  Station.  While  passing  along  Cus- 
tom House  place  he  discovered  Jennie  Paine,  alias  "Gin- 
ger Heel,"  robbing  a  farmer.  Seeing  Wooldridge,  she 
fled  into  Smith's  saloon,  where  he  followed  and  placed 
her  under  arrest.  Smith  stepped  from  behind  the  bar 
and  demanded  if  he  had  a  warrant  for  her  arrest,  and 
said  if  he  did  not,  he  could  not  take  her  or  any  other 
person  out  of  his  saloon, 

Wooldridge  told  him  to  attend  to  his  business,  that 
it  was  not  his  affair  whether  he  had  a  warrant  or  not. 
There  were  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  toughest 
characters  on  the  levee  in  the  saloon  at  the  time,  drink- 
ing and  having  a  good  time,  and  they  all  came  to  Smith's 
assistance  and  informed  Wooldridge  that  he  could  not 
take  the  woman.  He  realized  that  to  take  her  meant  a 
fight  and  possibly  either  kill  or  get  killed,  so  he  thought 
he  would  take  the  safe  side  and  went  out.  When  he 
reached  the  door  he  informed  Smith  that  for  interfering 
with  him  when  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  he  would 
take  out  a  warrant  for  his  arrest.  Smith  replied  that  if 
he  did  he  would  have  his  star  and  have  him  discharged 
from  the  police  force.  He  said  he  wanted  it  distinctly 
understood  that  he  had  a  pull  and  any  one  who  bothered 
him  would  find  it  out. 

Wooldridge  went  to  the  station,  found  Captain  Shippy, 
who  was  then  in  command  there,  and  told  him  just  what 
had  occurred  at  Smith's  saloon.  He  called  Lieutenant 
Arch  and  commanded  him  to  take  enough  men,  go  to 
Smith's  saloon,  and  clean  it  out,  but  before  the  order 
could  be  put  into  execution,  Wooldridge  requested  him  to 
countermand  it,  let  him  take  a  warrant  for  the  place  the 
following  day,  and  proceed  according  to  law,  which  he 
did. 


72  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

At  2  p.  m.,  a  detail  of  twenty  men,  eight  in  citizen's 
clothes  and  twelve  in  uniform,  was  sent  with  Wool- 
dridge  to  Smith's  saloon  to  serve  the  warrant.  The  forces 
were  divided,  part  of  the  men  being  sent  to  the  rear 
and  part  to  the  front.  Wooldridge,  fifty  feet  in  advance, 
entered  the  saloon.  He  found  Smith  arrayed  in  all  his 
glory  behind  the  bar  and  informed  him  that  he  had  a 
warrant  for  his  arrest. 

Smith  reached  down,  and  securing  a  huge  revolver, 
placed  it  in  the  waistband  of  his  pants,  with  the  handle 
sticking  out,  and  stepped  out  from  behind  the  bar  with 
one  hand  on  the  gun.  Advancing  on  Wooldridge,  he  de- 
manded in  a  loud  tone  of  voice,  "What  was  that  you 
said?"  The  words  had  hardly  left  his  mouth,  when 
he  received  an  electric  shock  from  Wooldridge's  billy, 
which  struck  him  under  the  ear,  and  caused  him  to  spin 
like  a  top  and  land  in  the  corner  in  a  heap.  Several  of  the 
toughs  started  to  Smith's  assistance,  but  about  this  time 
in  walked  six  officers  through  the  front  door. 

This  threw  the  inmates  into  confusion  and  they  made 
a  rush  for  the  back  door,  only  to  run  into  the  arms  of  the 
four  officers  in  uniform.  In  all,  twenty-three  persons 
were  arrested. 

William  Smith  and  D.  Dempsy  were  fined  $ioo  each, 
and  the  most  of  the  others  from  $io  to  $50  each. 

Inspector  Lyman  Lewis  and  Captain  Shippy  took  quite 
an  active  part  in  the  prosecution.  Smith's  saloon  li- 
censes in  both  places  were  revoked  and  the  inspector  and 
captain  notified  all  present  that  any  saloon  keeper  in  the 
future  who  denied  admission  to  any  officer  or  interfered 
with  him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty  would  be  served 
in  the  same  way. 

After  this  every  saloon  keeper  on  the  levee  was  ready 


MAKES  DIVE-KEEPERS  RESPECT  HIM  73 

to  furnish  any  information  or  assist  Wooldridge  when- 
ever he  called  upon  them. 

Inspector  Lewis  called  Wooldridge  to  his  office  and 
gave  him  orders  to  break  up  the  house  of  prostitution  run 
by  Hattie  Briggs  and  drive  her  off  of  Clark  street.  He 
procured  warrants  covering  each  day  for  two  weeks  and 
then  called  at  her  house  and  told  her  that  she  must  close 
her  house  of  ill-fame  and  move  off  the  street. 

She  reached  into  her  bosom  and  produced  a  roll  of 
bills  six  inches  thick,  saying  in  the  most  abusive  lan- 
guage that  her  tongue  could  utter  that  she  was  in  the 
Harrison  street  district  before  he  came  there  and  would 
be  there  when  he  was  gone  and  forgotten  and  that  she 
had  money  to  burn. 

Wooldridge  was  joined  by  two  more  officers,  a  war- 
rant was  served  upon  her  and  she  was  taken  to  the 
Harrison  Street'  Station.  She  was  released  on  bail  at 
6  p.  m.,  was  again  arrested  at  8  p.  m.,  and  sent  to  the 
Desplaines  Street  Station,  released  at  ii  p.  m.,  and  again 
arrested  at  i  a.  m.,  and  sent  to  the  Thirty-fifth  Street 
Station  and  secured  bail  and  arrived  home  in  time  for 
breakfast. 

Wooldridge  took  several  officers  with  him  to  the 
Thirty-fifth  Street  Police  Court,  where  she  was  tried  and 
fined  and  while  she  was  paying  her  fine  he  took  a  car  to 
Harrison  street,  where  she  was  again  fined.  He  then 
went  to  the- Desplaines  Street  Police  Station,  where  she 
had  another  case,  and  she  was  again  heavily  fined. 

By  the  time  Hattie  paid  her  fines  and  arrived  home,  it 
was  I  p.  m.  She  was  again  arrested  and  sent  to  the 
Thirty-fifth  Street  Station.  She  returned  home  at  7 
p.  m.,  and  then  was  arrested  and  locked  up  in  the  Harri- 
son Streef  Station.    The  thing  was  kept  up  for  ten  days, 


74  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  one  morning  about  sunrise  two  large  furniture  vans 
backed  up  at  Hattie  Briggs'  house,  388  Clark  street,  and 
she  moved  south  and  the  Harrison  street  district  was 
free  from  one  of  the  worst  dive  keepers  on  the  levee. 


FOUR  HUNDRED  CAUGHT  IN  A  RAID. 

DETECTIVES     MAKE    A    PHENOMENAL    ARREST    IN    BUCKET 
SHOPS   AND   FILL   THE   POLICE   STATION. 

There  have  been  many  exciting  scenes  on  the  Board  of 
Trade  and  in  that  vicinity  from  the  time  that  B.  P. 
Hutchinson,  known  as  "Old  Hutch,"  ran  a  corner  in 
corn,  on  down  to  Joe  Leiter's  wheat  deal  and  later  when 
young  Phillips  got  all  the  former  cereal  in  his  grasp,  but 
there  has  never  been  such  an  uproar  among  traders  nor 
such  wild  disorder  in  the  shadow  of  that  great  specula- 
tive mart  as  was  produced  on  July  31,  1900,  when  De- 
tective Wooldridge  jumped  into  the  pit. 

Wooldridge  did  not  try  to  corner  the  wheat  market 
and  he  had  no  use  for  corn.  He  had  no  desire  for  pork, 
lard  or  peanuts,  but  he  ran  a  corner  that  day  which 
made  the  big  deals  of  "Old  Hutch,"  Leiter  and  Phillips 
look  like  child's  play  in  comparison.  He  went  after  big- 
ger game  than  that  of  grain  or  provisions.  He  made  a 
corner  in  speculators  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  four  hun- 
dred of  them  in  his  grasp,  and  it  was  not  a  future  de- 
livery contract  either.  It  was  a  spot  transaction  and  he 
carried  his  goods  away  with  him — in  a  patrol  wagon. 

In  other  words,  he  made  a  raid  on  the  bucket  shops  and 
arrested  all  the  speculators  he  could  find.  In  the  clamor 
that  followed  men  almost  lost  their  senses.     One  of  the 


FOUR  HUNDRED  CAUGHT  IN  A  RAID  75 

speculators  under  arrest  tried  to  commit  suicide  before 
he  was  put  into  the  patrol  wagon.  Men  of  prominence 
in  the  speculative  world  mingled  with  those  who  made 
dollar  deals  and  they  sat  side  by  side  in  the  "Black 
Maria,"  which  gave  them  a  free  ride  to  the  police  sta- 
tion. It  was  the  most  cleverly  arranged  and  executed 
raid  ever  recorded  in  police  annals.  It  was  ordered  by 
Chief  of  Police  Kipley  and  the  execution  of  it  was  put 
in  the  hands  of  Detective  Wooldridge.  He  was  given 
a  large  force  of  men  to  assist  him  and  the  force  included 
detectives  and  a  large  detail  of  officers  in  uniform  from 
Central  and  Harrison  Street  Stations. 

Wooldridge  laid  his  plans  so  well  that  practically  .every 
one  of  the  four  hundred  taken  to  the  station  were  under 
arrest  some  time  before  they  knew  it.  All  the  officers 
compared  their  timepieces  before  going  to  work  in  order 
that  there  might  be  no  mistake.  It  was  known  just  how 
long  it  would  take  the  patrol  wagons  to  reach  the  places 
raided  and  the  general  movement  was  made  accordingly. 

Before  the  raid  was  begun,  teii  patrol  wagons  were  in 
readiness  for  use  at  a  given  signal.  The  horses  had  been 
harnessed  and  hitched  an  hour  before  they  were  needed 
and  when  the  signal  came  and  they  dashed  through  the 
streets  with  the  horses  under  whip,  there  was  an  excite- 
ment which  has  not  been  equaled  since  the  famous  Hay- 
market  riot. 

The  wagons  wheeled  into  Pacific  avenue  and  Sherman 
street  simultaneously  and  the  prisoners  were  packed  in 
them  like  figs  in  a  box.  Dozens  of  trips  were  made  be- 
fore all  the  men  under  arrest  could  be  taken  away. 

Wooldridge  had  thoroughly  drilled  and  instructed  his 
men  before  the  raid  began.  They  were  divided  into 
squads   and   sent  to  the  different  bucket   shops  in  the 


76 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


vicinity  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and  were  sent  in  such 
perfect  order  that  every  squad  reached  its  destination  at 
exactly  the  same  minute.  The  doors  and  all  other  places 
of  exit  were  instantly  closed  and  the  crowd  notified  that 
every  one  was  under  arrest. 

In  an  instant,  it  seemed,  the  blue  wagons  dashed  up 
and  as  fast  as  one  was  loaded  it  was  driven  away  on  a 


RAIDING  A  BUCKET  SHOP. 


run  and  hurried  back  to  get  another  load.  This  was  kept 
up  for  more  than  two  hours  and  when  all  the  prisoners 
were  landed  in  the  police  station,  the  corridors  and  cells 
were  packed  almost  to  suffocation. 

At  each  place  the  telegraph  wires  wefe  CUt  as  fast  as 
electricians,  who  accompanied  the  officers,  could  get  at 
them  and  after  the  work  there  was  such  a  mass  of  sev- 
ered and  tangled  wires  in  the  places  raided  that  it  took 
experts  two  weeks  to  get  them  back  in  place  and  make 
proper  connections. 


FOUR  HUNDRED  CAUGHT  IN  A  RAID  VI 

In  one  place  the  proprietor  telephoned  for  his  attorney 
ivhile  his  customers  were  being  loaded  into  the  wagon. 
Wooldridge  ordered  the  electrician  to  sever  the  wires, 
when  the  lawyer  demanded  that  it  be  stopped. 

"You  are  violating  the  law,"  he  said,  "and  you  and  the 
city  will  be  held  responsible  for  this  outrage  and  I  give 
you  notice  now  to  not  touch  these  wires." 

"I  am  an  officer  of  the  law,"  said  Wooldridge,  "and 
know  what  I  am  doing.  All  men  are  alike  to  me  and  if 
you  interfere  I  will  arrest  you  and  load  you  Into  the 
patrol  wagon  with  the  other  prisoners.  This  case  will 
be  tried  in  court  and  not  here.  I  am  here  under  orders 
of  court  in  the  discharge  of  my  duty  and  want  no  inter- 
ference." 

With  that  the  detective  snatched  his  knife  from  his 
pocket  and  with  one  slash  severed  the  wires  from  every 
instrument. 

In  some  instances  the  operators  at  the  telegraph  in- 
struments tried  to  give  a  warning  to  other  bucket  shops 
of  the  raid  and  when  the  occupants  of  the  places  so 
warned  tried  to  make  their  escape,  they  found  every 
egress  barred  and  were  compelled  to  submit. 

Bucket  shops  located  at  the  following  places  were 
raided  and  dismantled :  lo  and  12  Pacific  avenue,  25 
Sherman  street,  14  Pacific  avenue,  10  Pacific  avenue,  210 
Opera  House  block,  7  Exchange  court,  19  Lyric  Theater 
building,  and  37  Dearborn  street. 

At  one  place  eighty-eight  m.en  were  taken  and  at  an- 
other the  officers  arrested  forty-two.  Fourteen  of  the 
prisoners  were  women  and  one  of  these  fainted  as  she 
was  being  taken  to  the  patrol  wagon. 

At  the  police  station  there  was  the  greatest  con  fusion 
ever  known  after  a  raid.  Professional  bondsmen  reaped 
a  harvest  and  it  took  many  hours  for  all  of  those  arrested 


78  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  get  released.  A  great  deal  of  time  was  consumed  in 
getting  the  bonds  filled  out.  Few  of  the  prisoners  would 
give  their  real  names  unless  compelled  to  do  so. 

Many  threats  were  made  against  Detective  Wooldridge 
by  some  of  the  prisoners,  but  he  declared  in  every  case 
that  he  had  sufficient  evidence  to  justify  him.  The  men, 
he  said,  were  violating  the  city  and  state  law  and  he  was 
only  doing  his  duty  in  arresting  them.  He  said  that  he 
had  proof  that  each  was  conducting  a  bucket  shop. 

The  derks  and  employes  on  the  regular  Board  of 
Trade  indulged  in  much  merriment  at  the  expense  of  the 
victims  of  the  raid,  and  not  only  these  but  every  one  in 
the  neighborhood  added  as  much  discomfiture  as  possible 
to  the  prisoners. 

In  a  few  minutes  after  the  patrol  wagons  dashed  up 
and  the  report  had  spread  that  a  raid  on  the  bucket  shops 
was  in  progress,  the  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  were  so  packed  that  it  waS  impossible  to  pass 
through  them.  It  was  a  surging  mass  of  humanity  so 
dense  that  the  wagons  had  much  difficulty  in  getting 
through. 

The  prisoners  were  arraigned  for  trial  the  next  and 
following  days  and  nearly  all  were  fined. 

Only  one  firm  made  a  strong  fight  against  being  ad- 
judged guilty  of  conducting  a  bucket  shop  and  this  fight 
was  based  on  the  fact  that  the  head  of  the  firm  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trade.  While  it  was  practically 
proven  that  the  firm  was  doing  a  bucket-shop  business, 
no  fine  was  imposed  in  this  case,  the  court  dismissing 
the  defendants  on  a  technicality.  The  head  of  this  firm 
was  finally  put  on  trial  by  the  Board  of  Trade  on  the 
charge  of  conducting  a  bucket  shop  and  was  found  guilty 
and  expelled. 


WOMEN  SMOKED  OUT  79 


WOMEN  SMOKED  OUT. 

HOW  I'HE  DETECTIVE  SECURED  ENTRANCE  INTO  A  THIEVING 
PANEL  HOUSE  FORTRESS. 

Lizzie  Davenport,  a  colored  woman,  kept,  in  1892,  a 
thieying  panel  house  of  prostitution  at  202  Custom  House 
place,  one  of  the  worst  dives  in  the  city,  which  was  pat- 
ronized by  some  of  the  cleverest  strong-arm  women  and 
pickpockets  that  ever  operated  in  Chicago.  Among  them 
were  Flossie  Moore,  Pearl  Smith,  Ida  Anderson,  Marcelia 
Logan,  Emma  Ford,  Minnie  Shouse,  Lena  Blake,  Lizzie 
Walker,  Hattie  Washington,  Mamie  Ward,  Hattie  Fisher, 
Mollie  Chapman,  Jessie  and  Nettie  Allen  and  several 
others.  It  has  been  estimated  that  $500,000  have  been 
stolen  in  the  various  houses  kept  by  the  Davenport 
woman.  A  greater  part  of  the  victims  were  strangers 
passing  through  Chicago,  who  were  picked  up  around 
the  Polk  Street  Depot.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for 
ten  or  fifteen  robberies  to  occur  in  this  house  within 
twenty-four  hours. 

Lookouts  and  sentinels  were  always  stationed  to  report 
the  approach  of  the  police,  because  every  officer  and  de- 
tective in  the  Harrison  Street  Station  was  known  to 
them. 

When  a  "pull"  or  raid  was  made  on  this  place  it  was 
necessary  to  close  every  avenue  of  escape  and  to  move  at 
a  given  signal  from  all  quarters,  and  this  took  a  large 
number  of  men. 

This  house  contained  many  rooms,  closets,  and  hiding 
places  in  which  the  inmates  took  refuge  behind  closed 
windows  and  barred  doors,  but  even  this  did  not  secure 
protection  against  the  Chicago  police  officer  armed  with 


80  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

warrants.  The  doors  were  frequently  broken,  and  so 
Lizzie  had  a  large  closet  built  with  massive  oak  doors, 
which  nothing  apparently  could  penetrate,  except  a  can- 
non ball  from  the  most  powerful  gun.  She  called  this 
her  fort,  and  made  up  her  mind  that  she  was  secure  from 
further  raids  from  the  police. 

This  worked  charmingly  for  a  week  or  more,  when 
one  day  a  number  of  robberies  had  been  reported,  and 
Detective  Wooldridge  was  given  a  warrant  for  Lizzie  and 
all  inmates,  with  instructions  from  Captain  Shippy  that 
they  must  be  brought  in.  He  first  secured  an  auger,  half 
a  pound  of  red  pepper,  and  a  detail  of  ten  men  to  assist 
him.  Going  to  the  house,  he  found  ten  women,  eight 
of  whom  succeeded  in  getting  mto  the  fort,  and,  barring 
the  door,  defied  arrest. 

Wooldridge  bored  several  holes  in  the  door,  filled  cot- 
ton full  of  pepper  and  ignited  and  placed  it  in  the  holes 
which  he  had  bored.  He  then  took  a  heavy  piece  of 
paper,  made  a  funnel,  and  blew  the  smoke  into  the  fort. 
The  inmates  coughed,  sneezed,  and  begged  for  mercy. 
They  were  all  arrested,  and  you  can  rest  assured  they 
never  took  refuge  in  the  "fort"  again. 


TRACES  A  MURDERER. 

DETECTIVES    ARREST    A    MAN    WHO    MAKES    A    CONFESSION 
WHICH   REVEALS  A  MYSTERY. 

There  are  some  interesting  facts  in  connection  with 
a  murder  case  in  which  Detective  Wooldridge  ran  down 
and  brought  to  justice  the  criminal.  On  June  i6,  1893, 
Thomas  Hennessy  shot  and  killed  Michael  O'Prien.    On 


TRACES  A  MURDERER  81 

June  23,  Detective  Wooldridge  arrested  Fred  Harris  on 
a  charge  of  being  an  accessory  to  the  murder.  After 
Harris  was  taken  to  the  station,  he  made  a  confession  to 
the  officer. 

He  said  that  several  nights  before  the  shooting  of 
O'Brien,  the  latter  and  Hennessy  held  up  a  man  on  the 
West  Side  and  got  from  him  a  considerable  sum  of 
money.  When  they  divided  the  cash,  O'Brien  kept  $500 
more  than  his  share,  which  enraged  Hennessy.  He  swore 
then  that  he  would  some  time  get  even  with  O'Brien. 

On  the  afternoon  of  June  16,  Harris,  Hennessy,  and 
another  man  were  standing  near  the  corner  of  Wabash 
avenue  and  Harrison  street,  when  O'Brien  approached 
Harris.  Hennessy  then  handed  Harris  a  revolver  and 
told  him  to  shoot  O'Brien.  He  refused  to  do  so,  and 
Hennessy  then  todk  the  revolver  from  him  and  fired  two 
shots  at  O'Brien,  both  taking  effect,  killing  him  almost 
instantly. 

Harris,  Hennessy  and  the  other  man,  whose  Viame 
was  thought  to  be  O'Connel,  fled  and  left  the  city.  They 
boarded  a  freight  train  and  went  to  Joliet.  Later  they 
boarded  another  train  and  finally  reached  St.  Louis.  After 
reaching  that  city,  Hennessy  and  the  other  man  left 
Harris,  and  the  latter,  not  knowing  that  O'Brien  was 
dead,  came  back  to  Chicago. 

When  this  confession  was  made,  Detective  Wooldridge 
went  to  work  on  the  case,  and  after  several  weeks  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  some  witnesses,  and  thus,  link  by  link, 
made  a  strong  case  of  murder  against  Hennessy. 

The  facts  were  laid  before  Joseph  Kipley,  who  was 
then  inspector  of  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  and 
through  the  efforts  of  Wooldridge,  a  large  number  of 


82  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

photographs  and  descriptive  circulars  were  made  and 
sent  out  to  all  the  important  cities  in  the  country. 

Wooldridge  finally,  through  persistent  and  untiring 
work,  located  Hennessy  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  was  ar- 
rested. An  officer  from  the  Central  Station  was  sent 
there,  and  Hennessy  was  brought  back  to  Chicago.  The 
officer  who  brought  Hennessy  back  claimed  all  the  credit 
for  locating  and  arresting  him,  and  spurned  the  offer 
of  Wooldridge  to  assist  him  in  hunting  up  the  wit- 
nesses and  preparing  the  case. 

The  result  was  that  when  the  prisoner  was  arraigned 
there  were  no  witnesses,  and  the  case  was  not  ready  for 
trial.  The  officer  who  had  charge  of  the  case  even  failed 
to  appear,  and  this  so  enraged  the  assistant  state's  attor- 
ney, that  he  sent  for  Inspector  Kipley,  who  called  the 
officer  who  had  charge  of  the  case  and  Detective  Wool- 
dridge into  one  of  the  vacant  jury  rooms  at  the  court- 
house and  delivered  to  them  a  severe  lecture  for  not 
having  on  hand  the  witnesses  and  evidence  on  which  to 
proceed  with  the  case  against  Hennessy. 

He  even  threatened  to  prefer  charges  against  them  for 
the  neglect  of  duty  and  bring  them  before  the  trial  board. 
He  declared  that  he  had  given  the  officers  two  weeks  and 
nothing  else  to  do  but  to  prepare  for  this  case  and  find 
the  witnesses. 

Wooldridge  did  not  care  to  have  this  undeserved  lec- 
ture laid  against  him,  and  told  Inspector  Kipley  that  he 
had  offered  to  assist  the  other  officers,  and  that  they  had 
spurned  the  offer  and  refused  his  aid. 

Wooldridge  was  then  told  to  go  out  and  find  all  the 
witnesses  in  the  case.  Wooldridge  traveled  all  night 
through  alleys,  highways  and  byways  during  one  of  the 
worst  rainstorms  of  the  season,  and  the  next  morning 


CAPTURES  GANG  OF  BOY  THIEVES  83' 

when  Ihe  court  opened  he  had  five  witnesses  on  hand. 
Hennessy  was  found  guilty  on  December  2,  1893,  and 
given  twenty-five  years  in  the  penitentiary  at  hard  labor. 
The  case  was  tried  before  Judge  Philip  Stein. 


CAPTURES  GANG  OF  BOY  THIEVES. 

SIXTEEN  YOUNGSTERS  ARRESTED  WHO  HAD  A  WAGON  LOAD 
OF  PLUNDER. 

One  cold  night  in  December,  as  Detective  Wooldridge 
was  going  home  on  a  Wabash  avenue  car,  the  conductor 
called  out  to  the  passengers : 

"Look  out  for  valuables.  There  are  pickpockets 
aboard." 

This  attracted  the  attention  of  Detective  Wooldridge, 
who  knew  that  many  complaints  had  been  filed  at  the 
Harrison  Street  Station  of  a  well-organized  gang  which 
was  operating  along  Wabash  avenue,  and  that  they  were 
lifting  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  Four  or 
five  officers  had  been  detailed  to  locate  and  break  them 
up,  but  without  success. 

After  the  conductor  called  attention  to  the  nightly 
depredations,  Wooldridge  kept  his  eye  open.  In  front 
of  him  sat  a  gentleman  who  resided  on  Thirty-sixth 
street.  He  wore  more  or  less  jewelry  and  was  very 
portly.  At  Twelfth  street  five  or  six  young  men  jumped 
on  the  grip  car,  on  which  they  were  riding.  One  crowded 
into  a  seat  beside  the  gentleman.  Another  pushed  him. 
from  behind,  and  before  he  realized  what  it  meant  they 
were  searching  his  pockets. 

Wooldridge  drew  his  revolver,  and  the  thieves  jumped 


84  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

off  the  car  and  disappeared.  He  thought  they  lived  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  he  followed  them  some  distance  to 
see  if  he  could  locate  them.  They  ran  east  on  Four- 
teenth street,  then  through  the  alley,  and  came  out  on 
Thirteenth  street.  Then  they  went  to  State  street  and 
into  a  doorway  at  1301. 

This  was  a  large  rooming  house  kept  by  Mrs.  Smith. 
Wooldridge  hid  on  the  opposite  corner  of  the  street,  and 
watched  the  house  for  two  hours.  He  saw  several  boys 
enter  the  same  building  with  bundles,  who  would  remain 
only  a  short  time,  when  they  would  be  out  again,  and 
very  soon  return  with  another  bundle.  They  would  go 
to  the  third  story,  front  room,  and  could  be  seen  through 
an  uncovered  window. 

Wooldridge  went  to  1301  State  street  the  following 
night  about  dark  in  company  with  several  other  officers, 
and  they  succeeded  in  getting  in  and  reaching  the  third 
story  without  being  discovered.  Two  boys  were  found 
in  the  room  with  enough  plunder  to  load  a  patrol  wagon, 
consisting  of  clothing,  laundry,  robes,  whiskey,  cigars, 
butter,  groceries,  poultry,  and,  in  fact,  almost  everything 
that  could  be  thought  of. 

The  two  boys  were  placed  under  arrest,  and  Wool- 
dridge sat  down  to  await  the  coming  of  the  other  boys, 
first  placing  an  officer  downstairs  behind  the  door,  with 
instructions  not  to  allow  any  one  to  go  out,  but  not  to 
interfere  if  they  came  upstairs.  They  walked  into  the 
trap,  one  after  another,  until  seven  had  been  caught. 
One  named  Pearson  had  a  fresh  wound  in  his  hand, 
which,  it  was  afterwards  learned,  he  had  received  while 
in  the  act  of  committing  a  burglary.  He  was  also  recog- 
nized as  the  youth  who  a  year  previously  tried  to  kill  a 
shoemaker  at  2518  State  street. 


FOUND  HIM  IN  A  TRUNK  85 

One  of  the  boys  confessed  and  told  Wooldridge  that  he 
would  find  the  rest  of  the  gang  at  1536  Wabash  avenue, 
where  the  officer  surprised  them  before  they  had  gotten 
up,  and  arrested  nine,  making  in  all,  sixteen. 

Upon  investigation,  it  turned  out  that  Dan  Dean,  one 
of  the  gang,  was  the  captain,  and  each  day  had  the  work 
laid  out  as  follows :  In  the  early  morning  they  would 
go  out  and  steal  papers  from  the  doorsteps,  and  make 
money  for  their  breakfast;  during  the  day  they  loafed 
around  the  big  stores  on  State  street,  picking  pockets ; 
at  dark  they  worked  the  laundry  and  grocery  wagons, 
halls  for  overcoats,  and  when  there  was  a  rush  on  the 
street  cars  they  would  work  them.  Later  on  they  laid 
for  robes,  horse  blankets,  etc. 

It  took  the  police  many  days  to  find  the  owners  of  the 
goods  recovered.  Half  a  load  was  recovered  at  1536 
Wabash  avenue. 

They  were  arraigned  before  Justice  Bradwell,  Decem- 
ber 12,  and  fined  from  $10  to  $75  each.  One  of  the 
worst  gangs  of  thieves  that  ever  infested  Chicago  was 
broken  up.  It  is  estimated  over  $2,000  worth  of  prop- 
erty was  stolen  by  them  before  they  were  caught. 


FOUND  HIM  IN  A  TRUNK. 

DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE    PLAYS   A   BAGGAGE   SMASHER   AND 
GETS  A  THIEF. 

The  trained  eyes  and  keen  senses  of  a  detective  never 
overlook  as  unimportant  a  piece  of  furniture  as  a  trunk 
when  he  is  trying  to  find  a  thief,  and  here  is  a  case  in 


86  '        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

which  Detective  Wooldridge  handled  a  piece  of  baggage 
in  such  a  way  as  to  cause  the  contents  to  call  for  help. 

In  October,  189S,  Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  locate 
and  arrest  Ben  Brennan,  who  was  wanted  for  larceny 
and  for  jumping  his  bonds.  He  found  that  the  man  he 
'wanted  was  stopping  at  1232  Wabash  avenue,  and  early 
on  the  morning  of  October  28,  he  took  several  officers 
with  him  and  surrounded  the  house. 

It  was  some  twenty  minutes  before  they  could  gain  ad- 
mission, and  when  they  did,  Brennan  was  not  to  be  found. 
Before  the  door  was  opened  Wooldridge  heard  a  whis- 
pered conversation,  also  a  noise  like  the  sliding  of  doors, 
which  convinced  him  that  Brennan  was  in  the  house,  and 
he  went  to  work  to  make  a  thorough  search  of  the  prem- 
ises. 

Every  closet  and  hole  that  a  man  could  hide  in  was 
examined,  and  they  were  about  to  give  it  up,  when  Wool- 
dridge's  eye  caught  sight  of  a  large  trunk  which  looked 
like  a  drummer's  sample  case. 

He  asked  Rosie  Brennan,  who  was  lying  in  bed,  what 
was  in  the  trunk,  and  in  a  very  excited  manner  she  re- 
plied that  it  contained  her  own  clothes  and  for  him  not 
to  touch  it.  Wooldridge  started  for  the  trunk,  when 
she  sprang  out  of  bed,  with  a  sheet  thrown  around  her, 
and  again  demanded  that  he  should  not  lay  his  hands 
on  the  trunk,  and  that  if  any  one  dared  to  break  the 
lock  she  would  have  him  arrested. 

Wooldridge  told  her  that  no  one  should  break  the 
lock  or  do  anything  contrary  to  the  law.  This  seemed 
to  pacify  her,  and  she  returned  to  her  bed.  Wooldridge 
caught  hold  of  the  trunk  by  the  handle,  and  from  its 
great  weight  was  convinced  there  was  some  one  m  it. 


FOUND  HIM  IN  A  TRUNK 


87 


He  set  it  on  end,  and  Rosie  gave  a  scream.  He  then 
turned  it  down  and  reversed  the  ends.  This  proved  his 
suspicions  were  correct. '  There  was  a  man  in  the  trunk, 
with  head  down  and  feet  up,  so  Wooldridge,  apparently 
unconcerned,  sat  down  on  the  trunk,  Hghted  a  cigar,  and 
awaited  developments.  Scream  after  scream  came  from 
the  trunk. 

"Rosie !  Rosie  !  help !  murder !  I  am  dying ;  for  God's 
sake  let  me  out." 

Four  or  five  officers  were  in  the  room,  and  Wooldridge 


WAS  HID  IN  A  TRUNK. 

told  them  some  one  seemed  to  be  in  trouble  on  the  other 
side  of  the  street,  and  one  of  them  had  better  run  over 
and  see  what  it  was. 

Rosie  Brennan  sprang  from  the  bed  with  a  scream, 
saying,  "No,  no,  the  trouble  is  not  on  the  other  side  of 
the  street.  My  Bennie  is  in  the  trunk,  and  I  have  the 
key." 

Holding  it  in  her  hand,  she  said  she  would  open  the 
trunk  if  Wooldridge  would  please  get  off. 

Wooldridge  was  in  no  hurry,  and  began  to  express  a 


88  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

doubt  as  to  Rosie's  information  as  to  where  Bennie  was. 
He  asked  her  if  she  did  not  only  a  few  miniftes  ago  tell 
him  that  Bennie  was  not  in  the  house,  and  that  the  trunk 
contained  nothing  but  her  clothing. 

Rosie  begged  and  pleaded  with  tears  in  her  eyes  to  let 
her  open  the  trunk  or  her  poor  Bennie  would  die.  This 
was  too  much  for  the  detective.  He  was  a  brave  and 
,  fearless  officer,  he  could  face  a  whole  army,  even  a  can- 
non's mouth,  burglars,  highwaymen,  footpads,  murder- 
ers, the  fusillade  of  bullets  and  fire,  but  the  appeal  of 
Rosie  was  too  much  for  him.  He  pulled  a  handkerchief 
from  his  pocket,  brushed  away  a  tear,  sprang  from  the 
trunk,  and  even  offered  to  assist  her  to  release  poor 
Bennie. 

The  tray  of  the  trunk  and  all  of  the  clothes  had  been 
removed,  and  Bennie  Brennan  was  found  in  his  night 
clothes  packed  in  like  a  sardine  in  a  can.  In  the  bottom 
of  the  trunk  were  found  several  bolts  of  silk,  also  silk 
dresses  and  underclothing  supposed  to  have  been  stolen. 
Brennan  and  Rosie  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station,  but  they  secured  bail  and  fled  to  New 
York. 

Ben  and  Rosie  Brennan  came  from  New  York  several 
years  prior  to  this  event,  and  opened  a  thieving  panel 
house  of  prostitution  at  41  Eldridge  court.  Their  place 
was  also  a  fence  for  thieves.  Bennie  Brennan  was  an 
all-around  thief,  burglar  and  highwayman.  During  the 
fall  of  1896,  he  was  arrested  by  Officer  Early  for  burg- 
lary while  crossing  the  Twelfth  street  viaduct  a  few 
minutes  after  he  had  entered  a  house  on  the  west  side, 
and  had  on  his  back  two  suits  of  stolen  clothes,  which 
were  fully  identified.  He  was  bound  to  the  criminal 
court,  indicted,  but  got  out  through  influence  and  money. 


DETECTIVE  AN  AERONAUT  89 

He  has  been  arrested  a  number  of  times  with  stolen 
property  on  him. 

Many  complaints  were  made  against  both  ot  them  at 
the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  Detective  Wooldridge 
raided  them  until  they  were  driven  from  41  Eldridge 
court.  They  next  moved  to  561  Wabash  avenue,  where 
they  continued  their  depredations,  and  Wooldridge  again 
was  ordered  to  close  them  up.  He  went  to  the  house 
armed  with  a  warrant,  and  was  attacked  by  Rosie  with 
a  frying-pan  full  of  hot  grease.  When  this  gave  out  she 
tried  hot  water.  The  officer  was  burned  with  the  hot 
liquids,  but  finally  arrested  her,  when  Bennie  appeared 
and  attacked  him  with  rocks.  He,  too,  was  caught  and 
locked  up. 

John  King,  the  great  criminal  lawyer,  defended  them, 
and  Justice  Richardson  assessed  each  of  them  $10  and 
costs.  They  were  broken  up  at  their  place,  561  Wabash 
avenue,  and  removed  to  124 1. 


DETECTIVE   AN   AERONAUT. 

INFORMATION  OF  A  DISORDERLY  HOUSE  OBTAINED  BY  BEING 
SUSPENDED    IN    A   BARREL   IN    MIDAIR. 

Many  complaints  had  been  made  at  the  Stanton  Ave- 
nue Station  that  a  disorderly  house  of  prostitution  was 
being  conducted  at  306  Thirty-first  street.  Owing  to  the 
custom  and  methods  of  signals  used  in  reaching  the  in- 
side of  the  house,  it  was  hard  work  to  make  a  case  on 
them.  Several  officers  had  been  detailed  on  the  matter 
for  two  weeks  without  making  any  progress  or  gaining 
any  information.    . 


HOISTED  IN  A  BARREL. 


CLi^TFl^ENCE  GAMES  91 

Finally,  Officer  Wool«tridge  was  placed  in  citizen's 
clothes  and  detail&l  on  the  case.  He  tried  every  way 
that  he  could  thin.i  of  .o  get  inside  of  the  house  and 
see  what  they  were  dohig  and  what  was  going  on,  but 
without  success.  Along  the  side  of  the  disorderly  house 
ran  an  alley,  and  a  beam  extended  from  the  roof  with 
a  pulley  and  rope  to  take  up  freight  and  lower  ashes,  A 
barrel  was  used  to  bring  the  ashes  down. 

Wooldridge  secured  a  vinegar  barrel  about  the  same 
size,  bored  it  full  of  holes,  and  hid  it  in  a  carpenter  shop 
until  after  midnight.  He  then  rolled  it  along  the  alley 
until  the  house  was  reached.  It  was  attached  to  the  rope 
and  pulley,  and  Wooldridge  got  into  the  barrel  and  was 
pulled  up  to  the  level  of  the  flat  and  opposite  the  window 
where  he  could  see  all  that  was  going  on  through  the 
holes  in  the  barrel. 

He  saw  enough  to  make  a  case  on  the  inmates,  and 
next  day  procured  a  warrant  and  raided  the  house  that 
night.  Wooldridge  was  questioned  by  the  attorney  for 
the  inmates  as  to  whether  he  was  ever  in  the  house  be- 
fore the  raid. 

Wooldridge  replied  "No,"  and  the  attorney  was  sur- 
prised to  learn  the  novel  way  he  had  secured  the  evidence. 

All  were  fined,  and  the  house  was  broken  up. 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES. 

DETAILS  OF  THE  MANY  SCHEMES  AND  DEVICES  EMPLOYED 
TO   FLEECE   STRANGERS. 

Of  all  criminals  with  which  the  Police  Department  of 
any  great  city  has  to  deal,  confidence  men  are  the  most 
troublesome.     The  smooth,  well-dressed  bunko  steerei 


92  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

often  escapes  the  eye  of  the  most  vigilant  officer  and 
picks  his  victim  from  the  depots,  pubHc  buildings  and 
streets,  where  policemen  are  detailed  in  large  numbers. 

The  Chicago  police  have  encountered  the  confidence 
man  in  a  hundrd  varieties  of  "con"  games.  They  have 
found  him  in  league  with  politicians  and  other  persons 
of  influence,  and  waging  a  war  against  him  has  been  a 
task  which  required  the  most  skillful  work.  Detective 
Wooldridge  has  been  the  known  enemy  of  the  oily- 
tongued  criminal,  and  during  his  service  in  the  Chicago 
Police  Department  he  has  battled  with  him  unrelentingly. 
His  efforts  have  resulted  in  the  breaking  tip  of  some  of 
the  most  notorious  and  best  organized  gangs  of  "con" 
men,  and  more  than  one  of  this  gentry,  now  in  the  Joliet 
penitentiary,  can  consider  his  stripes  a  souvenir  of  De- 
tective Wooldridge's  work  in  behalf  of  society  and  law 
and  order. 

During  the  first  four  years  of  the  administration  of 
Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison,  the  younger,  the  public  press 
again  and  again  called  attention  to  the  robberies  com- 
mitted by  confidence  men,  Mr.  Paul  D.  Howse,  in  the 
columns  of  the  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  repeatedly  exposed 
their  games.  Mr.  Howse,  who  was  a  reporter,  famil- 
iarized himself  with  the  methods  of  the  swindlers  and 
wrote  of  their  operations  so  clearly  •  that  his  articles 
amounted  to  an  expose.  Chief  of  Police  Joseph  Kipley 
called  Wooldridge  in  and  instructed  him  to  wage  a  re- 
lentless warfare  on  the  "con"  men. 

With  the  assistance  of  several  officers  working  from 
Chief  Kipley's  office,  Wooldridge  invaded  the  haunts  of 
the  confidence  men,  and,  entirely  disregarding  their  po- 
litical influence,  he  broke  up  gang  after  gang.  Hun- 
dreds were  arrested  and  ordered  to  leave  Chicago  or  fined, 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  93 

and  others  were  indicted  by  ine  grand  jury  upon  evidence 
gathered  and  presented  by  Detective  Wooldridge. 

Soon  the  "tip"  went  to  the  poHticians  who  posed  as  the 
protectors  or  backers  of  the  confidence  men,  "Have  Wool- 
dridge called  off,  or  the  game  is  gone." 

Wooldridge  was  not  "called  off,"  and  as  a  result,  Chi- 
cago, for  the  first  time  in  twenty  years,  was  practically 
cleared  of  confidence  men,  Charles  Gundorf,  known  as 
a  "fixer"  and  also  as  the  "King  of  Con  Men,"  quit  Chi- 
cago. Finding  that  he  could  not  follow  his  nefarious  pur- 
suits here,  Gundorf  went  to  Niagara  Falls,  where  he 
secured  certain  "privileges."  He  took  with  him  from 
Chicago  a  score  of  bunko  steerers  and  "con"  men  who 
found  Wooldridge's  efforts  ruinous  to  their  games.  Gun- 
dorf and  his  gang  is  but  one  of  a  number  which  aban- 
doned Chicago  before  the  onslaught  of  Wooldridge  and 
his  fellow  officers  from'  Chief  Kipley's  office.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  "grafters"  went  to  Buffalo  or  that  vicinity 
to  work  during  the  Pan-American  Exposition.  Chief  of 
Police  O'Neill  kept  up  the  good  work,  and  all  of  these 
men  were  driven  out  or  abandoned  confide9ce  work. 

Previous  to  January,  1901,  the  names  of  Charles  Gun- 
dorf, "Farmer"  Brown,  George  Beazley,  "Big  Sam"  Je- 
rioux,  "Kid"  Wilson,  "Dirty"  Eddie' Hall,  George  Har- 
rass,  "Bunk"  Allen,  Harry  Featherstone  and  Lamon 
Moore  were  as  familiar  to  newspaper  readers  as  the 
names  of  city  officials.  Since  that  time,  owing  to  Wool- 
dridge's efforts,  the  names  of  these  men  have  not  ap- 
peared in  public  print  except  to  note  the  fact  that  "Dirty" 
Eddie  Hall  and  Harry  Featherstone  have  been  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary,  and  that  the  others 
have  been'  frequently  arrested  or  forced  to  quit  their  dis- 


94    .       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

honest  practices.    Their  political  "pulls,"  however  strong, 
did  not  save  them. 

It  was  "Eddie"  Hall  and  his  associates,  "Slim  Jim' 
Davis  and  "Curly"  Collins,  who,  on  Dec.  2,  1887,  came 
near  killing  Captain  Luke  P.  Colleran,  who  at  this  writ- 
ing is  chief  of  the  Chicago  City  Detective  Department. 
Captain  Colleran  was  then  a  plain-clothes  man,  and  was 
watching  for  confidence  men  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ran- 
dolph street  viaduct.  He  had  an  advantageous  point 
of  view,  and  saw  Hall  and  Davis  escort  strangers  up  the 
bridge.  By  a  long  detour,  Colleran  eluded  those  who 
were  left  at  the  end  of  the  bridge  to  give  signals  of  the 
approach  of  officers,  and  appeared  suddenly  on  the  scene 
and  found  "Slim  Jim"  Davis,  "Eddie"  Hall,  "Dick" 
Dean,  and  "Kid"  Murphy  trying  to  fleece  two  farmers. 
Colleran  was  alone,  but  he  was  determined  and  was  not 
appalled  because  there  were  four  to  fight. 

He  seized  Davis  by  the  coat  collar,  saying,  "Davis, 
stand  still."  Leveling  his  revolver  at  Hall,  he  exclaimed, 
"Eddie,  if  you  move,  I'll  shoot."  They  knew  that  he 
was  in  earnest,  and  submitted,  but  the  other  two  confi- 
dence men  escaped.  He  had  two  under  arrest,  but  he 
was  not  out  of  trouble  yet. 

Starting  ofif  the  viaduct  towards  the  patrol  box  with 
his  prisoners,  he  met  "Curly"  Collins,  who  offered  to 
assist  the  officer. 

"All  the  assistance  I  ask  of  yota,  Collins,"  said  Col- 
leran, "is  for  you  to  mind  your  own  business." 

Collins  then  passed  on,  but  when  only  a  few  feet  away 
he  picked  up  a  piece  of  timber,  and,  running  up  behind 
Colleran,  dealt  him  a  blow  which  knocked  him  insensi- 
ble. The  others  then  jumped  on  the  officer  and  beat  him 
terribly.      Not   satisfied   with    this,   they   picked   up  thf 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES      *  ♦»» 

Ump  and  unconscious  detective  and  threw  him  over  the 
raiHng  of  the  viaduct.  He  struck  the  top  of  a  freight 
car,  bounded  thence  head  foremost  to  a  flat  car  loaded 
with  iron,  and  then  fell  to  the  railroad  tracks.  The  gang 
ran  and  escaped.  Colleran  was  unconscious  many  hours 
and  was  in  the  hospital  many  months,  but  he  has  had 
the  satisfaction  at  last  of  seeing  every  member  of  the 
gang  that  assaulted  him  sent  to  prison. 

Captain  Colleran  has  been  in  the  department  sixteen 
years,  and  has  been  advanced  .steadily  from  the  ranks 
up  to  his  present  responsible  position.  Since  he  has 
been  at  the  head  of  the  Detective  Department  he  has 
shown  great  skill  and  good  judgment  in  the  execution 
of  his  very  arduous  duties.  He  has  always  been  known 
as  a  fearless  and  conscientious  officer. 

The  "Woolen  Mills"  gang  was  the  most  troublesome 
of  all  to  the  police,  owing  to  the  fact  that  this  variety  of 
"con"  game  was  easiest  worked,  and  the  swindlers  had 
no  trouble  shifting  their  bases  of  operation  quickly. 
These  gangs,  also  known  as  "broad"  gangs,  were  allied 
with  cvirtpjn  politicians,  and  they  wielded  no  light  influ- 
ence to  handicap  the  work  of  the  police.  But  their  po- 
litical influence  carried  no  weight  with  Detective  Wool- 
dridge,  and  the  "Woolen  Mills"  gang  is  to-day  extinct, 
the  swindlers  scattered  over  the  United  States,  and  the 
leadeis  and  backers  disheartened. 

From  four  to  ten  confidence  men  skilled  in  the  art  of 
acting,  and  skilled  in  this  connection  implies  the  fullest 
meaning  of  that  word,  formed  the  combination  known 
as  the  "Woolen  Mills"  gangs.  One  gang  worked  under 
the  direction  of  "Farmer"  Brown,  and  others  were 
headed  by  grafters  of  equal  accomplishments.  Three  of 
the  "con"  men  in  these  eanifs  remained  about  the  fake 


t6  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIMF 

offices,  and  the  others  worked  the  vicinity  of  the  rail- 
road depots,  the  stock  yards,  and  the  pubhc  streets  and 
buildings,  on  the  lookout  for  victims. 

The  outside  men,  known  as  bunko  steerers,  approached 
unsophisticated  strangers.  One  of  the  swindlers  would 
hasten  to  the  victim,  grasp  his  hand  and  call  him  by 
some  fake  name.  Invariably  the  stranger  stated  that 
a  mistake  had  been  made,  and  during  the  explana- 
tion by  the  grafter,  the  stranger's  real  name  was  se- 
cured. This  was  quickly  imparted  to  another  bunko 
steerer  who  carried  a  pocket  bank  and  post-office  direct- 
ory. The  second  swindler  quickly  gleaned  the  direct- 
ories and  picked  out  the  name  of  a  banker  or  the  post- 
master in  the  town  from  which  the  stranger  hailed  or 
nearest  which  he  resided. 

Then,  came  the  fine  work.  The  second  "con"  man 
approached  the  stranger  and  called  him  by  his  right 
name.  He  introduced  himself  as  a  nephew,  brother,  or 
cousin  of  the  banker  or  postmaster,  and  stated  that  he 
was  in  business  with  the  "Great  Western  Woolen  Mills." 
He  then  invited  the  stranger  to  accompany  him  to  the 
office  of  the  woolen  mills  company  to  have  a  free  suit 
of  clothing  made. 

"We're  making  suits  for  advertising  purposes,  and  all 
we  ask  is  for  you  to  show  it  to  the  folks  out  home,  and 
tell  them  how  the  'Great  Western  Woolen  Mills  Com- 
pany' made  it,"  the  swindler  explained. 

The  stranger  was  then  conducted  to  the  "broad"  joint, 
usually  an  office  located  in  the  levee  district.  There  he 
was  told  that  the  manager  was  out  for  a  minute.  Within 
a  minute  two  other  confidence  men,  pretending  to  have 
come  from  the  stock  yards  after  selling  a  carload  of 
mules  or  stock,  would  come  in.    They  began  discussing  a 


Tivcli  Came 


SEVEN  DIFFERENT  CONFIDENCE  GAMES. 


98  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

game  played  with  four  cards,  three  of  which  have  stars 
printed  on  them  and  one  of  which  bears  a  picture  of  a 
girl  kicking  a  hat.  The  stranger  is  induced  to  make  bets 
that  he  can  pick  out  the  fourth  card.  In  this  process 
the  swindler  who  brought  him  to  the  place  turns  up  the 
corner  of  the  fourth  card  and  wins.  When  the  victim 
places  all  his  money  on  a  bet  the  other  confidence  men 
change  the  cards  and  turn  up  the  corner  of  another. 

If  the  victim  shows  an  inclination  to  cause  trouble  for 
the  swindlers,  the  manager  of  the  fake  concern  is  called 
in  and  he  upbraids  the  victim  for  gambling.  If  he  is  not 
then  inclined  to  leave  the  "broad"  joint  without  making 
trouble,  a  bogus  policeman  is  called  in.  This  fake  officer 
arrests  the  victim  for  gambling  and  conducts  him 
through  a  maze  of  streets  and  alleys  to  an  out-of-the- 
way  place,  where  he  is  left  to  shift  for  himself. 

When  the  stranger  leaves  the  "broad"  joint,  the  gang 
picks  up  the  samples  of  cloth  and  desks  which  adorned 
the  fake  office  and  makes  a  quick  move  to  another  fake 
office.  In  the  event  of  the  victim  making  complaint  to 
the  police  the  gang  is  out  of  the  way.  Officers  may  be 
led  to  the  rooms  where  the  victim  was  robbed,  but  they 
find  it  so  changed  that  the  stranger  seldom  recognizes 
it  as  the  same  place.  Robberies  of  this  kind  have  netted 
as  high  as  $2,500  each. 

But  the  day  of  the  "broad"  joint  and  its  smooth  oper- 
ators has  ended.  Detective  Wooldridge  familiarized  him- 
self with  the  haunts  of  the  swindlers,  with  their  meth- 
ods and  their  faces,  and  his  warfare  drove  them  from 
the  city. 

It  was  as  a  "broad"  joint  operator  that  "Farmer" 
Brown  became  famous,  although  Charles  Gundorf  is 
generally  spoken  of  as  the  originator  of  this  infamous 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  99 

swindle.  Brown  took  the  part  of  a  Kentucky  farmer 
who  had  just  sold  a  load  of  mules,  and  his  smooth  talk 
induced  hundreds  of  victims  to  bet  their  money  on  the 
card  game  swindle.  A  conservative  estimate  of  the 
amount  of  money  taken  from  strangers  in  Chicago  by 
this  swindle  previous  to  1901  is  $10,000  per  month. 

Detective  Wooldridge  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  break- 
ing up  a  gang  of  confidence  men  operating  the  swindle 
known  as  the  "wire  tapping"  or  "race  track"  game. 
This  swindle  was  one  that  puzzled  the  entire  police  force 
of  Chicago  for  a  time.  Its  operators  were  among  the 
"smoothest"  confidence  men  in  the  United  States,  and 
they  made  so  much  money  through  their  operations  that 
they  were  able  to  fight  prosecution  by  buying  off  Wit- 
nesses and  bringing  up  technicalities  on  appeals  which 
sometimes  prevented  their  entrance  into  the  penitentiary. 

This  swindle  found  victims  through  shrewd  business 
men,  and  seldom  did  operators  find  it  necessary  to  lure 
unsophisticated  countrymen  into  their  net. 

The  operators  of  this  swindle  included  such  "smooth" 
confidence  men  as  "Eddie"  Dunne,  O.  M.  Stone,  Andrew 
Brown,  J.  W.  Turner  and  Charles  Gates.  These  five 
men  were  arrested  time  and  again  by  Wooldridge. 

On  March  25,  1901,  "Eddie"  Dunne  and  Charles 
Gates  were  held  in  bonds  of  $2,000  each  for  swindling 
Mrs.  Pearl  H.  Beardsley  out  of  $1,750.  They  induced 
her  to  back  them  to  open  an  office  and  fit  it  up  with  wires 
and  instruments  with  which  they  were  to  get  advance 
reports  on  races.  They  opened  an  office  in  the  Imperial 
building.  Before  they  began  to  operate,  Dunne  was 
arrested  and  the  instruments  seized. 

The  "wire  tappers"  usually  fit  up  an  office  in  some 
out-of-the-way   office   building   or    rooming   house   with 


100         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

telegraph  instruments  which  make  a  circuit  on  them- 
selves. They,  of  course,  are  expert  electricians,  and  one 
unfamiliar  with  their  game  is  more  than  likely  to  believe 
that  they  have  tapped  a  wire  running  to  a  race  track  or 
pool-room.  The  victim  is  told  that  the  operators  can 
easily  hold  back  the  race  report  until  one  of  their  number 
can  hasten  to  a  nearby  pool-room  and  make  a  bet  on  the 
race. 

The  victim  is  readily  led  to  believe  that  he  is  going  to 
beat  the  gamblers,  and  he  sees  no  way  of  losing.  He  is 
induced  to  intrust  his  money  to  one  of  the  swindlers, 
who  is  supposed  to  hasten  to  a  pool-room  as  soon  as  a 
race  report  comes  over  the  fake  wire.  The  confidence 
man  disappears  with  his  money,  and  he  is  sent  out  to 
meet  him,  or  in  some  cases  he  is  taken  to  the  pool-room 
and  lost  in  the  crowd.  When  he  returns  to  the  "wire- 
tapper's" office  he  finds  that  they  have  dismantled  their 
quarters  and  disappeared. 

On  January  3,  1900,  Detective  Wooldridge  executed  a 
coup  on  O.  M.  Stone  and  J.  W.  Turner  which  com- 
pletely staggered  the  veteran  "wire-tapper"  and  caused 
the  greatest  satisfaction  to  the  telegraph  company.  Stone 
was  arrested  by  Wooldridge,  and  in  order  to  avoid  a 
charge  of  swindling,  he  maintained  that  he  was  running 
a  pool-room.  However,  Wooldridge  had  Stone  indicted, 
and  on  July  22  he  was  tried  before  Judge  Baker  and 
paid  a  heavy  fine. 

The  fake  pool-room  was  conducted  in  the  Imperial 
building  at  260  Clark  street.  For  some  time  complaints 
had  reached  the  Police  Department  that  "wire-tappers" 
vyere  blossoming  out  with  increased  activity  and  seeking 
to  rob  the  public  by  pretending  to  furnish  names  of  race 
winners  before  the  inf6rmation  was  given  out  by  the 
regular  news  agencies. 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  101 

Stone  afterwards  opened  an  office  in  rooms  23  and  53 
of  the  Commerce  building  at  16  Pacific  avenue,  which 
he  called  the  Commercial  News  Bureau.  These  rooms 
were  on  different  floors.  Room  23  was  used  by  Stone 
as  an  office  in  which  he  met  his  victims  and  made  his 
arrangements  for  giving  them  racing  results  in  advance. 
Room  53  was  the  operating  department. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  on  this  case  by  the 
chief  of  police.  He  first  went  to  Stone's  office  but  he  was 
not  there.  He  then  went  to  room  53,  where  Stone  was 
found.  The  room  was  fitted  up  like  the  laboratory  of  a 
scientist.  On  a  long  work-bench  at  one  side  of  the  room 
were  installed  a  telegraph  instrument,  a  telephone,  and 
various  groups  of  delicate  and  complicated  electrical  de- 
vices. A  row  of  tiny  incandescent  globes  flashed  the  sig- 
nals of  the  Morse  code  when  the  telegraph  keys  were 
manipulated  by  the  city's  expert  telegrapher,  who  ac- 
companied the  detective. 

The  detective  sounded  the  walls  and  peered  out  of  the 
windows  to  see  where  the  wires  used  by  Stone  led.  An 
expert  from  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company 
also  made  a  careful  examination,  and  declared  that 
Stone's  telegraph  instrument  was  not  then  connected 
with  any  live  wire  and  that  the  circuit  was  cut  in  on  an 
electric  wire  and  grounded  on  the  roof  of  the  Com- 
mercial building.  While  the  officer  was  making  his  in- 
vestigation, Stone  maintained  an  attitude  of  complete 
resignation  and  calmly  smoked  '  a  cigar.  He  declared 
that  he  was  conducting  a  strictly  legitimate  business,  and 
that  the  invasion  of  his  office  was  an  outrage. 

However,  when  Detective  Wooldridge  began  to  exam- 
ine with  a  curious  eye  the  massive  steel  door  of  the  vault 
in  one  corner  of  the  room  and  requested  Stone  to  open  it, 


102         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

the  latter  awakened  from  his  apathy,  but  refused  to  obey 
the  command.  When  the  detective  declared  he  would 
send  for  an  expert  and  have  it  opened,  Stone  changed 
his  mind  and  worked  the  combination.  The  interior  of 
the  vault  disclosed  a  pretty  little  room,  the  walls  of  which 
were  covered  with  scarlet  paper.  On  a  small  desk  were 
a  ticker,  a  telephone,  and  a  telegraph  instrument.  The 
vault  was  brilliant  with  electric  light,  and  it  was  an  ideal 
place  for  quietly  sending  or  receiving  messages  either 
by  telephone  or  telegraph  and  for  the  operator  of  the 
ticker. 

Representatives  of  the  telephone  company  and  of  the 
Gold  and  Stock  Exchange  Telegraph  Company  were 
sent  for,  and  the  instruments  which  had  been  rented  un- 
der an  assumed  name  were  removed.  Stone  and  Thomas 
Carroll  were  arrested  before  this  at  21  Quincy  street  for 
conducting  a  fake  pool-room.  Later  he  and  two  other 
men  were  arrested  at  177  La  Salle  street  on  the  same 
charge,  and  were  held  to  the  grand  jury. 

Officials  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company 
say  Stone  is  the  greatest  electrician  in  the  United  States, 
or,  perhaps,  in  the  world.  This  company  would  be  will- 
ing to  pay  Stone  a  handsome  salary  for  his  services,  if 
he  could  be  relied  on,  and,  in  fact,  authorized  Detective 
Wooldridge  to  make  him  a  proposition  for  them. 

A  federal  injunction  was  once  secured  by.  the  Western 
Union  restraining  Stone  from  tapping  their  wires,  but 
Stone  is  such  an  expert  in  telegraphy  and  electricity  that 
it  is  hard  to  make  a  case  against  him.  He  has  shown 
that  he  can  take  a  message  from  a  wire  without  tap- 
ping it. 

This  is  done  by  what  is  called  induction.  He  is  the 
inventor  of  numerous  delicate  and  valuable  instruments. 
In  the  old  days  when  he  was  flourishing,  a  man  could 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  103 

go  into  his  operating  room  and  see  a  dozen  employees 
busy  receiving  and  sending  messages  and  not  hear  a 
sound  of  an  instrument. 

He  once  started  an  independent  telephone  system  in 
Chicago  and  used  wires  all  over  the  downtown  district, 
yet  he  did  not  have  a  wire  of  his  own.  He  simply  "bor- 
rowed" them  without  the  knowledge  or  consent  of  the 
owners.     He  did  not  have  a  permit  from  the  city. 

Soon  after  Stone's  place  in  the  Commercial  building 
was  broken  up,  Detective  Wooldridge  discovered  a  wire- 
tapping or  fake  pool-room  in  the  Omaha  building.  From 
the  agents  of  the  building  he  learned  that  the  rent  had 
been  paid  by  Stone. 

The  detective  went  after  Stone  and  forced  him  to  cut 
all  the  wires  he  had  in  use  at  the  Omaha  building.  These 
wires  ran  over  the  tops  of  several  buildings  in  the  vi- 
cinity. Wooldridge  followed  Stone  in  his  route  over 
the  house-tops  and  saw  him  cut  every  wire. 

There  are  so  many  of  these  confidence  games  that  it 
would  require  almost  a  whole  volume  to  describe  all  of 
them.  One  which  is  a  "sure  thing"  for  the  owners  of  it 
is  the  Tivoli  game.  It  does  not  differ  very  materially 
from  the  regular  Tivoli  game  which  is  frequently  seen  in 
saloons  and  billiard  halls,  except  that  the  latter  is  on  the 
square,  whereas  the  former  is  a  gambling  game  and  has 
connected  with  it  a  mechanical  device  which  prevents  the 
playej  from  winning.  It  consists  of  a  small  high  table 
on  which  is  arranged  rows  of  pins  and  pockets  or  holes 
and  looks  much  like  the  regulation  bagatelle  table.  At 
the  end  is  a  short  hollow  post,  surmounted  by  a  negro 
head,  whose  wide  mouth  is  a  target  at  which  a  small 
ball  is  thrown. 

The  pockets  or  holes  in  the  table  are  all  numbered  and 


104         HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WURLD  Ul'  CKLME 

pay  according  to  the  numbers.  The  pla3er  is  asked  to 
throw  a  ball  into  the  negro's  mouth  and  if  the  ball  goes 
into  the  mouth,  down  the  hollow  tube  and  then  rolls  into 
a  certain  pocket,  he  gets  a  certain  amount  of  money, 
which  is  always  declared  to  be  several  times  the  amount 
paid  for  making  the  venture. 

But  by  a  cleverly  arranged  mechanism  the  operator 
can,  by  a  simple  pull  on  a  cord  underneath  and  without 
observation,  cause  a  small  pin  to  project  and  thus  prevent 
the  ball  from  going  into  any  pocket  into  which  he  does 
not  want  it  to  go. 

There  is  a  fascination  for  strangers  about  the  game, 
because  it  looks  simple  and  seems  on  the  square,  but  it 
is  a  hard  game  to  beat,  even  when  not  operated  by  crooks. 
The  bunko  steerer  finds  many  victims  for  this  game  and 
thousands  of  dollars  have  been  lost  in  it,  of  which  noth- 
mg  has  been  said,  because  the  victim  usually  realizes 
when  it  is  too  late  that  he  has  been  robbed  by  a  cheap 
swindle  and  is  ashamed  to  let  any  one  know  it.  This 
the  swindler  well  knows  and  he  does  not  hesitate  to 
get  all  the  money  he  can. 

The  same  methods  are  used  to  get  players  for  this 
game  as  are  used  in  all  the  other  games.  "Cappers"  are 
sent  out  to  bring  in  the  rural  visitors.  They  are  told  of 
the  "big  sights"  to  be  seen  in  this  wonderful  place ;  shown 
pictures  of  women  in  suggestive  attitudes  and  Irear  stories 
of  a  reproduction  of  a  harem  and  this  more  easily  leads 
out-of-town  sightseers  astray  than  anything  else. 

Another  swindling  game  which  has  filled  the  pockets 
of  many  crooks  is  what  is  called  the  "goose-neck."  This 
game  is  similar  to  that  which  is  frequently  seen  at  county 
fairs  by  which  a  man  tests  his  hitting  strength  with  a 
heavy  mallet  or  maul,  by  striking  a  large  pin  which  sends 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  105 

an  automatic  marker  up  on  a  tube  which  registers  the 
striker's  strength. 

The  "goose-neck"  is  a  reproduction  of  this  on  a  small 
scale,  except  that  the  victim  does  not  register  his  strength. 
In  hitting  the  pin  with  a  small  mallet  he  is  supposed  to 
produce  on  the  post  or  cylinder,  even  or  odd  numbers. 
These  numbers  are  controlled  by  the  operator,  who  by 
the  turn  of  a  small  screw  which  is  invisible  to  the  victim 
can  make  the  register  show  either  one  he  desires. 

The  victim  is  lured  on  by  confidence  men  or  by  a  steerer 
who  will  make  a  bet  of  say  $2  that  he  can  get  the  even 
numbers.  Of  course,  when  he  strikes,  the  even  numbers 
show  up.  He  is  allowed  to  win  a  number  of  times,  when 
the  operator  tells  him  he  is  too  lucky  and  that  he  will 
allow  him  to  play  no  more. 

Then  he  pretends  to  be  greatly  angered  and  turns  to 
his  victim  and  tells  him  to  play ;  that  he  is  liable  to  win 
a  thousand  dollars ;  that  the  operator  is  in  bad  luck,  etc. 
The  victim  will  start  out  by  betting  $2,  and  he  is  al- 
lowed to  win  because  the  operator  turns  the  screw  to  set 
the  numbers  bet  on.  Then  the  victim  is  told  he  had  made 
a  conditional  bet;  that  is,  he  had  won  two  dollars  by 
getting  the  even  numbers,  but  by  putting  up  $2  more  he 
stands  to  win  not  $4,  but  $20.  This  seems  alluring  and 
he  is  told  again  that  the  conditions  are  th^t  by  putting 
up  $25  more  he  can  win  $500.  That  is  the  limit  of  the  * 
conditional  betting  he  is  told,  unless  the  steerers  and  cap- 
pers find  the  victim  has  plenty  of  money  and  is  v/illing 
to  stand  to  win  a  thousand,  in  which  case  he  is  likely  to 
be  asked  to  put  up  anywhere  from  $100  to  $500  to  win 
$1,000.  But  if  the  victim  seems  to  be  afraid  to  put  up 
any  more  than  the  $25,  the  screw  is  turned  to  show  up 
the  odd  numbers,  if  the  bet  is  made  on  the  evens,  and, 


106         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

presto,  he  is  informed  that  he  has  lost  and  the  ''steerers," 
"cappers,"  "coin  separators,"  "outside  hooks"  and 
"come-ons"  begin  to  surge  toward  the  street,  carrying 
the  victim  with  them,  and  he  soon  finds  himself  standing 
on  the  sidewalk  with  no  one  in  sight  whom  he  saw  on 
the  inside. 

And  thus  it  goes.  When  on  the  inside,  he  is  made  to 
think  that  every  one  around  him  is  anxious  to  play  the 
game,  and  when  they  are  stopped  on  account  of  their 
'^heavy  winnings,"  they  encourage  him.  "Go  in,  old 
man,"  they  will  say,  "you  can't  lose,"  and  when  he  is 
permitted  to  win  a  few  bets,  one  of  them  will  exclaim, 
"I  wish  I  had  your  luck.  I  never  saw  anything  like  it. 
Let  me  play  once."  But  the  operator  will  tell  him  it  is 
not  fair  to  him  to  play  on  another  man's  luck,  and  winds 
up  by  saying,  "This  gentleman  may  win  all  my  money, 
but  I  will  be  fair  and  not  stop  him  until  he  goes  the 
limit." 

Thus  encouraged,  the  stranger  lets  his  money  go  and 
frequently  leaves  without  a  cent  in  his  pocket. 

An  experienced  confidence  man — such  as  he  with 
whom  Officer  Wooldridge  has  dealt  with  such  a  firm  hand 
— is  always  ready  to  fleece  victims,  and  to  this  end  he 
carries  dice,  a  fake  lock  and  other  swindling  devices  in 
his  pocket.    He  has  them  ready  to  use  in  a  moment. 

With  three  ordinary  dice  the  swindler  entices  the 
victim  into  the  "top-and-bottom"  or  "Rocky  Mountain" 
dice  game.  A  booster  is  necessary  in  this  game.  The 
booster  meets  the  victim  and  conducts  him  to  a  saloon  or 
byway  and  there  the  operator  is  found  shaking  three 
dice.  The  operator  offers  to  bet  the  booster  and  his  vic- 
tim that  they  cannot  tell  what  number  the  spots  on  the 
tops  and  bottoms  of  the  three  dice  will  aggregate.    The 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  107 

booster  makes  a  bet,  giving  the  number  as  twenty-one, 
and  wins.  The  operator  then  excuses  himself  for  a  min- 
ute or  two,,  and  during  his  absence  the  booster  explains 
that  twenty-one  will  always  be  the  count  on  the  tops 
and  bottoms  of  the  dice  no  matter  how  they  are  thrown. 
iThe  victim  quickly  sees  this. 

When  the  operator  returns  he  offers  to  make  more 
bets.  The  booster  apparently  wishes  to  discourage  bet- 
ting, but  the  operator  is  so  insistent  at  wagering  his 
money  on  what  appears  to  be  a  certain  loss  that  the 
booster  tells  the  victim  to  bet  with  him.  It  is  an  easy 
matter  to  lure  the  stranger  into  this  swindle. 

After  the  money  is  bet  the  victim  is  usually  allowed 
to  win  the  first  wager.  The  operator  then  increases  the 
size  of  the  bet  to  the  amount  which  he  believes  the  victim 
to  possess.  The  bet  is  made  and  the  dice  thrown.  Some 
operators  "switch"  dice,  putting  in  a  dice  with  equal 
numbers  on  opposite  sides.  This  breaks  the  count  and 
the  victim  loses.  Other  operators  turn  one  dice  half 
round  after  the  top  numbers  have  been  counted.  This, 
too,  breaks  the  count  at  the  victim's  expense. 

In  the  lock  game  the  booster  with  the  victim  appears  to 
find  a  brass  lock  on  the  street.  He  laments  the  fact  that 
he  found  no  key.  Another  confidence  man  is  near  at 
hand  and  is  introduced  to  the  victim.  The  second  swin- 
dler is  shown  the  lock  and  he  produces  a  bunch  of  keys, 
one  of  which  opens  the  lock.  The  victim  is  given  the  key 
and  lock,  and  finds  that  it  works  right,  but  the  original 
booster  is  unable  to  work  the  lock.  The  victim  is  roped 
into  betting  as  in  the  dice  game  and  by  pressing  a  hidden 
spring,  the  lock  is  bound  so  that  the  victim  cannot  unlock 
it  after  his  money  is  up. 

The  confidence  man  lives  strictly  by  his  wits  and  he 


108         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

can  truthfully  be  said  to  be  a  witty  and  a  hard  customei* 
to  handle.  He  is  inventive  and  constantly  bringing  out 
new  swindles. '  But  with  his  new  ideas  he  finds  old  ones 
best  in  some  cases  and  hence  newspaper  readers  learn 
through  the  daily  press  of  swindling  by  the  "steamboat 
explosion"  and  "tunnel  cave-in."  The  surprising  thing 
is  that  these  ancient  swindles  find  victims  after  years  of 
exposure  in  the  daily  press. 

The  "steamboat  explosion"  and  "tunnel  cave-in" 
dodges  are  used  in  many  instances  as  a  subterfuge  to 
get  the  victim  into  the  clutches  of  shell  men  and  other 
confidence  operators.  But  sometimes  they  are  used  to 
further  downright  robbery.  Many  cases  of  both  descrip- 
tion have  been  encountered  by  Officer  Wooldridge  and 
many  criminals  with  victims  in  tow  have  been  put  to 
flight  by  the  appearance  of  Wooldridge  when  the  game 
was  all  but  sprung. 

Some  years  ago  these  swindlers  became  very  bold  and 
to  demonstrate  that  he  could  catch  them  -despite  their 
shrewdness.  Officer  Wooldridge  disguised  himself  as  a 
countryman. 

He  was  approached  by  a  booster  and  was  led  to  the 
swindle,  where  he  disclosed  his  identity  and  arrested  one 
of  the  most  troublesome  gangs  with  which  the  police 
ever  had  to  deal. 

The  unsophisticated  stranger  in  Chicago  is  approached 
by  a  booster  who  asks  him  if  he  has  seen  the  tunnel  cave- 
in  or  steamboat  explosion.  This  usually  excites  the  curi- 
osity of  the  victim  and  he  is  easily  led  to  some  out-of- 
the-way  spot  to  be  shorn  by  the  shell  game  or  held  up 
by  a  fake  policeman.  In  the  latter  instance  he  is  accused 
of  having  counterfeit  money  in  his  possession     The  bo- 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  10? 

gus  officer  flashes  a  star  and  the  booster  promptly  hands 
over  his  money  for  the  scrutiny  of  the  alleged  policeman. 

This  is  returned  as  "sound,"  and  the  victim  is  induced 
to  allow  the  examination  of  his  money.  This  is  "found" 
to  be  counterfeit.  The  fake  policeman  takes  it  away 
after  telling  the  victim  to  call  at  the  police  station  later, 
and  if  it  is  found  that  the  money  is  genuine  he  can  se- 
cure its  return.  If  the  victim  is  inclined  to  object  to 
seeing  his  money  go  from  him,  he  is  told  that  he  will  be 
arrested  for  carrying  counterfeit  money  and  that  the  pun- 
ishment is  a  year's  confinement  in  the  penitentiary.  This 
yarn  usually  settles  the  most  suspicious  victim. 

There  is  another  game  operated  by  confidence  men, 
which  is  the  most  illusive  of  them  all. 

This  is  called  the  envelope  game.  It  seems  such  an 
easy  matter  to  catch  the  envelope  containing  a  $io  bill, 
and  the  odds  given  on  it  are  so  large  that  even  the  most 
conservative  people  are  often  tempted  to  try  their  luck. 

It  consists  of  an  ordinary  envelope  box  containing 
about  fifty  envelopes.  In  the  presence  of  the  man  who 
wants  to  try  his  luck,  a  $io  bill  is  inserted  into  the  en- 
velope, which  is  thrown  into  the  box  with  the  others  and 
then  a  chance  is  given  any  one  to  select  any  five  of  the 
envelopes  which  are  in  the  box  for  $i.  Each  envelope 
has  a  small  slit  in  the  bottom  of  it  and  it  is  through  this 
that  the  operator  cunningly  extracts  the  $io  bill,  when  to 
all  appearances  it  has  been  left  in  the  envelope.  It  is  a 
simple  trick  which  the  confidence  men  can  operate  so 
dexterously  that  the  outsider  seldom  sees  how  it  is  done 
and  a  great  deal  of  money  has  been  lost  through  the  ef- 
forts of  strangers  to  get  the  envelope  containing  the  $io. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  surprise  to  many  persons  to 


110         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

learn  that  the  ancient  shell  game  continues  to  bring  a 
steady  and  very  remunerative  income  to  the  confidence 
men  and  swindlers  of  the  largest  cities. 

Since  Illinois  was  a  rolling  prairie  and  the  few  settlers 
were  trading  tin  cups  for  valuable  furs  with  the  Indians, 
the  shell  game  has  been  a  sort  of  well-known  institu- 
tion. It  has  thrived  in  Chicago  and  even  in  the  small 
towns  where  days  of  celebration,  county  fairs,  and  circus 
exhibitions  brought  visitors  from  the  rural  districts.  The 
cost  of  attempting  to  locate  the  elusive  "pea"  has  long 
been  met  by  the  curious  countrymen  and  "green"  towns- 
men and  as  late  as  to-day  shell  men  or  "nut"  men  can 
be  found  occasionally  about  the  depots,  stock  yards  or 
other  places  where  visitors  from  the  country  are  likely 
to  be  met. 

Three  half-shells  of  the  English  walnut,  an  India  rub- 
ber "pea"  and  a  soap  box  or  small  table  complete  the 
swindling  outfit  of  the  shell  man.  At  least  one  "booster" 
is  essential  to  the  success  of  the  swindle. 

The  operator  rolls  the  "pea"  about  under  the  inverted 
shells  and  bets  the  victim  that  he  cannot  tell  which  shell 
it  is  under.  The  "booster"  steps  up  first  and  the  operaor 
with  seeming  carelessness  allows  the  "pea"  to  slide 
slowly  under  one  of  the  shells.  This  motion  is  seen  by 
the  countryman  and  the  "booster."  The  latter  makes  a 
bet  and  of  course  wins.  Then  the  victim  is  inveigled 
into  the  game. 

The  operator  appears  to  handle  the  shells  more  care- 
lessly than  before.  He  allows  the  "pea"  to  remain  an 
instant  under  the  edge  of  one  shell.  The  victim  sees  this 
and  imagines  that  he  has  a  sure  thing.  He  makes  his 
bet  and  picks  up  the  shell,  to  find  it  empty.     The  shell 


CONFIDENCE  GAMES  Hi 

operator,  necessarily  skilled  in  handling  the  "pea,"  causes 
it  to  pass  under  the  shell  picked  up  by  the  victim  and 
inside  the  next  shell.  This  motion  is  too  quickly  made 
for  detection. 

There  is  another  confidence  game  which  is  worked  on 
small  storekeepers  and  by  which  many  a  clerk  and  pro- 
prietor, men  and  women,  have  been  victimized.  This  is 
called  the  "short  change"  scheme.  The  man  who  works 
this  plan  of  robbery  usually  selects  one  of  those  small 
stores  which  are  located  in  the  vicinity  of  schools  and  in 
which  are  sold  confections,  stationery,  etc. 

His  plan  is  to  enter  one  of  these- stores  with  a  lot  of 
small  change  in  his  hand  and  tell  the  clerk  or  proprietor 
he  has  written  his  wife  a  letter  and  wants  to  inclose  $5 
in  it  and  ask  for  a  bill  in  exchange  for  silver.  He  has 
the  letter  in  his  hand  already  stamped  and  addressed. 

He  counts  out  the  small  change  and  manages  to  extract 
from  it  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  without  being  detected. 
He  is  given  the  five-dollar  bill  and  then  tells  the  clerk  to 
count  the  silver  to  see  if  it  is  correct.  While  this  is 
being  done  the  confidence  man  places  the  five-dollar  bill 
in  the  letter,  but  dexterously  gets  it  out  and  then  seals 
the  letter. 

In  the  meantime  the  clerk  has  discovered  that  the 
change  is  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  short.  The  confidence 
man  hurriedly  counts  it  again  and  declares  he  has  made 
a  mistake.  He  then  gives  the  clerk  the  letter  supposed 
to  contain  the  five-dollar  bill  and  tells  him  to  "just  hold 
that  a  few  minutes  until  I  run  back  home  and  get  the 
balance  of  the  change." 

Thinking  the  five-dollar  bill  is  in  the  envelope,  the 
clerk  takes  it  and  lays  it  aside,  while  the  confidence  man 


112         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

with  the  bill  in  his  pocket,  picks  up  the  change,  and,  say- 
ing, "I'll  be  back  in  a  minute,"  departs  and  is  not  seen 
again.  This  game  has  been  played  hundreds  of  times  in 
Chicago  and  very  few  of  the  rascals  have  been  caught. 


WAS  A  VICTIM  OF  THE  GRAFTERS. 

MERRY   TAILOR   FROM    DOWN    EAST    IS   ROBBED    IN    CHICAGO 
BY  TWO   WOMEN. 

Being  disappointed  with  business  in  the  east,  Thomas 
Farrell,  a  tailor,  started  to  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  landed 
in  Chicago  en  route  to  the  A^estern  town  on  March  15, 
1896.  But  he  fell  in  the  hands  of  the  "grafters"  before 
ne  was  in  the  city  long. 

While  passing  along  Dearborn  street  in  front  of  408, 
he  met  Jessie  Sadler  and  Lula  Brown,  who  accosted  this 
maker  of  trousers. 

"Where  are  you  going,  merry  tailor  ?"  said  Jessie. 

"My  name  is  not  Mary  Taylor,"  said  Farrell,  "I'm  a 
man." 

With  a  few  more  pleasant  words,  Farrell  went  with 
the  women  to  their  rooms,  and  finding  that  he  had  money 
and  would  not  divide  with  them,  they  grabbed  him 
around  the  neck,  held  him  fast  and  robbed  him  and 
threw  him  out,  taking  $90,  all  the  money  he  had. 

Farrell  reported  the  matter  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  and  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  on  the 
case.  Farrell  gave  a  good  description  of  the  two  women 
and  took  the  officer  to  the  house. 

The  following  day  the  two  women  were  arrested.  Jes- 
sie confessed  and  said  that  Lula  Brown  had  taken  the 


HAD  A  WINTER  ROOF  Gx\RDEN  113 

monev  dim  ici-used  to  di'-ide-  Both  were  held  to  the 
grana  jur;y  m  bunds  of  $500. 

Wooldridge  took  Farrell  to  the  stock  yards  and  se- 
cured nim  ernpioyment,  but  he  ventured  downtown  the 
next  day  and  the  women  found  out  that  he  was  going 
to  stay  in  the  city  and  prosecute. 

They  tnen  ior'ked  the  money  over  to  him,  bought  him 
a  ticket  to  Kansas,  placed  him  on  the  train  and  when  the 
case  came  up  there  was  no  one  to  prosecute. 


HAD  A  WINTER  ROOF  GARDEN. 

WOMEN  TAKE  TO  THE  HOUSE  TOP  TO  ESCAPE  ARREST,  BUT 
IT  IS  TOO  CHILLY   FOR   THEM. 

The  roof  may  be  a  pleasant  retreat  in  summer  weather, 
but  it  is  too  chilly  for  comfort  when  the  mercury  is  hov- 
ering around  the  zero  mark  and  especially  if  the  occu- 
pants of  this  midwinter  roof  garden  happen  to  be  thinly 
clad,  as  was  the  case  when  Detective  Wooldridge  first 
discovered  the  hiding  place  of  a  number  of  disorderly 
characters  for  whom  he  had  warrants. 

In  March,  1896,  Nellie  Miller  kept  a  house  of  bad  re- 
pute at  7  Hubbard  court.  On  several  occasions  officers 
had  been  sent  lo  raid  this  house,  but  when  they  got  in- 
side they  couid  never  find  any  one  but  the  cook. 

Detective  Wooldridge  went  there  one  night  and  had 
warrants  for  the  arrest  of  Nellie  Miller  and  all  the  in- 
mates. Before  he  enterea  the  house  he  discovered  that 
there  were-  a  number  of  persons  inside,  but  after  enter- 
ing they  became  .invisible. 

After  making  a  carefui  search  of  the  place,  Wool- 


114 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


dridge  found  that  the  women  had  gone  to  the  roof  of 
the  house  by  means  ojc  a  ladder  in  an  upper  hallway,  and 
as  the  ladder  was  not  in  sight  it  was  evident  that  they 
had  drawn  it  up  after  them  and  then  closed  the  trap 
door. 

The  weather  was  extremely  cold  and  the  officer,  know- 
ing that  the  fleeing  women  were  thinly  dressed,  made  3 
weather-bureau  calculation,  deducing  the  conclusion  tha*" 


SHIVERING  ON  THE  ROOF. 


they  could  not  remain  there  longer  than  twenty  minutes. 
The  professor  in  charge  of  the  Auditorium  tower  could 
not  have  figured  more  correctly.  Wooldridge  also  fig- 
ured that  he  could  smoke  a  cigar  in  twenty  minutes,  anc" 
proceeded  to  kill  time  by  lighting  a  Havana. 

In  just  twenty  minutes  the  trap  door  was  opened 
Then  the  little  ladder  was  slided  down  with  as  much  dex- 
terity as  if  it  had  been  in  the  hands  of  a  fireman. 

One  by  one  the  shivering  females  came  down,  their 


ROBBERS  SHOW  NO  SYMPATJiY  115 

teeth  chattering  as  if  they  had  an  ague.  After  all  had 
gotten  in  out  of  the  chilly  blasts  that  were  coming  from 
the  lake,  Wooldridge  drew  out  his  warrant  and  served  it 
on  Nellie  Miller  and  told  her  if  all  were  present  he 
would  proceed  to  call  the  roll. 

After  each  had  made  a  toilet  which  was  more  in  keep- 
ing with  the  season  and  more  appropriate  for  a  ride  in 
the  patrol  wagon  to  the  police  station,  they  were  marched 
out  and  carted  away. 

Each  was  given  a  heavy  fine  next  morning  by  Justice 
Richardson. 


ROBBERS  SHOW  NO  SYMPATHY. 

WILL    STEAL    FROM    A    CHILD    OR    CRIPPLE    AS    READILY    AS 
FROM    A    BANKER. 

The  man  who  makes  his  living  by  robbery  and  confi- 
dence games  has  no  conscience  or  symf»athy.  He  will 
fleece  a  child  or  an  aged  cripple  as  readily  as  he  will 
hold  up  a  banker. 

This  was  demonstrated  when,  on  December  i,  1896, 
C.  H.  Cannon,  a  ranchman  from  Dakota,  was  ruthlessly 
robbed  of  every  cent  he  had  and  left  stranded  at  the 
depot  while  en  route  to  Fullerton,  Ontario,  with  his  in- 
valid wife  and  two  small  children.  After  the  confidence 
men  had  left  him,  he  was  compelled  to  open  a  toy  sav- 
ings bank  which  belonged  to  one  of  the  little  ones,  and 
take  therefrom  $1.79  with  which  to  buy  the  babies  and 
sick  wife  something  to  eat. 

Some  five  years  prior  Mr.  Cannon  married  in  Mon- 
treal, Canada,  and  went  to  Dakota,  rented  a  piece  of  land 
and   went   to   farming.     The   two   children   were  born 


116         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  jCRIME 

there,  and  on  account  of  Mrs.  Cann6n's  health  (she  was 
very  deHcate  and  had  consumption),  they  had  sold  their 
crops  and  household  goods,  and  were  returning  to  her 
mother's  home  at  Fullerton,  Ontario. 

All  the  money  Cannon  possessed  in  the  world  when 
he  landed  in  Chicago  was  $80.  His  little  girl  begged 
him  to  buy  her  a  doll,  and  as  he  could  get  it  only  a  few 
steps  from  the  depot,  he  started  out  to  buy  it. 

George  P.  Beazley,  a  smooth  confidence  man,  had  been 
watching  him,  and  followed  him  to  State  and  Polk 
streets,  where  he  came  forward  and  inquired  if  he  knew 
a  good  place  to  buy  a  suit  of  clothes,  as  he  was  a  stran- 
ger in  the  city.  Cannon  replied  that  he  also  was  a  stran- 
ger and  wished  to  purchase  a  doll,  telling  him  his  name 
and  where  he  was  going.  Beazley  said  he  too  was  going 
to  Canada,  only  a  few  miles  from  where  Cannon  was  go- 
ing. A  man  named  Wallace,  another  confidence  man 
and  partner  of  Beazley,  stuped  up,  and  volunteered  to 
show  them  both  where  they  could  get  the  best  bargains  in 
clothes  and  a  doll. 

While  purchasing  the  doll,  Cannon  exposed  a  roll  of 
bills.  He  then  started  for  the  depot  to  join  his  wife  and 
children,  when  Beazky  insisted  that  he  have  a  cigar 
with  him  before  parting.  They  went  to  a  saloon  at  386 
State  street.  Here  the  dice  were  produced,  and  Beazley 
and  Wallace  began  a  game  where  the  spots  are  counted 
on  the  top^and  bottom  of  three  dice.  Any  way  these  dice 
are  thrown,  the  number  will  be  twenty-one,  but  these 
smooth  confidence  men  always  carry  a  bogus  dice  with 
them,  which  would  make  a  different  number.  Everything 
is  explained  to  the  victim,  and  he  is  shown  that  it  is  im- 
possible for  him  to  lose,  but  if  he  puts  up  any  money 
the  bogus  dice  are  slipped  into  the  box. 

Every  inducement  was  offered  Cannon  to  take  part. 


■    ROBBERS  SHOW  NO  SYMPATHY  117 

and  failed.  Beazley  made  bet  after  bet  and  won ;  finally 
he  asked  Cannon  to  change  a  bill,  and  when  he  took  out 
his  pocketbook  it  was  snatched  and  a  scuffle  began.  A 
third  man,  who  was  a  friend  of  Beazley  and  Wallace, 
walked  in  and  seized  Cannon,  and  representing  himself 
to  be  an  officer,  charged  Cannon  with  gambling.  Both 
Wallace  and  Beazley  in  the  meantime  ran  away  with  the 
money,  while  the  bogus  officer  held  Cannon. 

He  was  left  one  thousand  miles  from  home  or  friends, 
in  a  strange  city  with  a  sick  wife  and  two  children  and 
penniless,  with  the  exception  of  $1.79.  He  made  com- 
plaint to  Captain  Charles  Koch  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station  and  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed 
on  the  case.  Cannon  and  his  family  were  taken  to  the 
Harrison  Street  Annex,  and  made  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  Then  Cannon  was  dressed  as  a  tramp  and 
taken  along  to  point  out  the  men.  Two  days  were  spent 
in  the  search,  and  every  day  the  dives  in  the  levee  dis- 
trict were  visited.  About  11  p.  m.  on  the  second  day 
both  men  were  seen  on  State  street  and  Hubbard  court 
by  Cannon,  who  pointed  them  out,  and  they  were  ar- 
rested and  identified  by  the  saloon  keeper.  They  were 
arraigned  before  Justice  G.  W.  Underwood  on  December 
3d,  and  fined  $50  each.  They  would  have  been  held  to 
the  Criminal  court,  but  Cannon  could  not  stay  to  prose- 
cute them. 

Wooldridge  took  up  a  collection  and  secured  tickets 
and  $13,  and  placed  Cannon  and  his  family  on  the  train 
for  Canada.  The  two  thieves  were  sent  to  the  House  of 
Correction.  An  effort  was  made  by  friends  and  politi- 
cians to  have  them  pardoned  by  Mayor  Swift,  but  when 
he  heard  the  facts  he  refused  to  do  so. 

There   were  fifteen   or  twenty  men   engaged   in  this 


118         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

business  who  did  nothing  else  but  operate  around  the 
depots  and  viaducts,  and  they  reaped  a  rich  harvest  for 
years. 

On  one  occasion  Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert 
were  sent  out  to  catch  some  of  them.  Wooldridge  went 
to  a  second-hand  store  on  Clark  street  and  secured  a  big 
fur  coat,  white  hat,  cowhide  boots,  a  lantern,  a  long  pole, 
used  by  stockmen  to  get  cattle  on  their  feet  which  get 
down  in  the  cars  while  en  route  to  the  Chicago  market, 
a  targe  black  paper  valise,  and  started  out.  Detective 
Schubert  followed  some  distance  behind  to  assist  him  in 
making  the  arrest  of  these  confidence  men  when  located. 

The  disguise  worked  all  right.  They  visited  the  Illi- 
nois Central  depot,  at  Twelfth  street  and  Michigan  ave- 
nue, and  then  passed  over  the  Twelfth  street  viaduct, 
and  went  north  on  Fifth  avenue,  until  they  had  got  within 
a  short  distance  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  depot,  when 
Wooldridge  was  spied  by  Lyman  Moore,  Joe  Farley  and 
James  Carter,  who  were  driving  around  in  a  buggy 
looking  for  just  such  people  as  Wooldridge  appeared 
to  be. 

Before  the  buggy  reached  Wooldridge,  Joe  Farley 
jumped  out  and,  taking  the  opposite  side  of  the  street, 
passed  Wooldridge  and  dropped  one  of  the  little  locks, 
which  have  been  fully  described,  on  the  sidewalk,  and 
secreted  himself  in  a  doorway  near  by.  Moore  and  Car- 
ter drove  up,  and,  stopping,  inquired  if  he  knew  where 
the  City  Hotel  was. 

Wooldridge  told  them  "he  be  gol  darned  if  he  did,  as 
he  was  a  stranger  in  this  here  town,  and  had  just  come 
in  with  a  car  of  pigs,  which  he  had  sold  and  that  he  had 
the  money  right  here  in  his  pocket,"  tapping  his  big  over- 
coat, "but  if  there  was  anything  else  he  could  do  for  the 
gents  he  would  be  glad  to  do  it." 


ROBBERS  SHOW  NO  SYMPATHY  119 

Moore's  and  Carter's  eyes  sparkled  with  the  prospect 
of  getting  the  wallet  which  Wooldridge,  the  old  pig 
puncher,  was  supposed  to  carry  with  him.  Moore  turned 
to  Carter,  saying  he  was  dry,  and  invited  him  to  get  out 
and  have  a  drink  with  him.  He  also  invited  the  stran- 
ger (Wooldridge),  who  accepted.  The  horse  was  hitched 
and  all  three  started  up  the  street  to  find  a  saloon.  Com- 
ing to  the  place  where  the  lock  was  dropped,  it  was 
picked  up  and  examined.  They  entered  the  saloon  where 
the  combination  and  spring  of  the  lock  had  been  found, 
and  examined  by  all  three  of  them. 

Joe  Farley  then  walked  in,  and  the  lock  was  given  him 
to  examine.  He  pronounced  it  no  good  and  offered  to 
wager  any  amount  of  anoney  that  neither  one  of  the  three 
could  open  it.  Every  inducement  was  offered  Wool- 
dridge, the  pig  puncher,  to  join  Moore  and  Carter  and 
skin  Farley  out  of  his  money.  Schubert  entered  at  this 
juncture  and  asked  what  they  were  doing  with  the  old 
stockman,  meaning  Wooldridge.  All  of  them  tried  to 
convince  the  officer  that  they  knew  the  pig  puncher,  and 
Carter  claimed  to  be  a  relative  of  his. 

Detective  Schubert  seized  Moore  and  Carter  and  placed 
them  under  arrest.  They  showed  fight,  and  Joe  Farley 
told  Detective  Schubert  he  would  have  to  kill  all  of  them 
before  he  could  take  a  single  one. 

While  they  were  engaged  in  this  argument  Wool- 
dridge stepped  to  one  side,  and,  slipping  off  his  fur  coat, 
whipped  out  two  revolvers,  one  in  each  hand,  and,  cover- 
ing them  all,  he  said  that  they  were  going  to  the  Harri- 
son Street  Station,  and  if  there  was  any  killing  to  be 
done  they  had  better  begin  on  him.  Moore  and  Carter 
recognized  Officer  Wooldridge,  and  knew  that  they  were 
confronted  by  one  of  the  most  determined  and  fearless 
men  on  the  police  force  in  Chicago. 


120         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

They  submitted  to  arrest  without  further  trouble,  and 
were  marched  to  the  station  and  locked  up.  They  were 
fined  heavily,  and  notified  to  leave  the  city.  Lyman 
Moore,  James  Carter,  and  Joe  Farley  were  the  smooth- 
est and  best  known  confidence  men  in  the  West. 


RIDES  A  THIEF  TO  JAIL. 

DETECTIVE  WOOLDRIDGE   CAPTURES  AND  COMPELS  A   HIGH- 
WAY ROBBER  TO  CARRY  HIM  TO  THE  LOCK-UP. 

Philip  Schneider  lived  at  4637  Drexel  boulevard,  Chi- 
cago. On  June  5,  1894,  he  accompanied  friends  to  the 
railroad  depot  at  Dearborn  and  Polk  streets,  to  see  them 
take  the  train  for  their  homes. 

Bidding  his  friends  good-bye,  Mr.  Schneider  started 
for  his  home.  Arriving  at  State  street,  he  found  the 
street  cars  crowded,  and  he  concluded  he  would  walk  to 
Twelfth  street,  some  three  blocks  south,  and  from  there 
take  the  elevated  train  home.  He  had  reached  the  va- 
cant lot  south  of  Taylor  street,  and  opposite  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  freight  house,  which 
was  about  one-half  the  distance  to  the  elevated  station 
at  Twelfth  street. 

Just  at  this  point  Mr.  Schneider  was  felled  to  the 
ground  by  a  blow  from  a  slung  shot  in  the  hands  of  a 
highway  robber  who  had  approached  him  from  the  rear. 
The  blow  only  stunned  him,  and  as  he  opened  his  eyes 
he  looked  up  into  the  face  of  his  assailant. 

A  street  gas  lamp  was  only  a  short  distance  away  and 
the  glare  from  it  fell  on  the  colored  highwayman,  who 
was  busily  engaged  rifling  his  victim's  pockets. 


ON  THE  prisoner's  SHOULDERS. 
131 


122         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

While  this  was  going  on,  Mr.  Schneider  had  a  good 
view  of  the  robber's  face,  clothing,  and  figure,  which  was 
indelibly  fixed  in  his  mind  and  memory.  Forty  dollars 
and  a  gold  watch  were  taken. 

Mr.  Schneider  tried  to  prevent  the  taking  of  the  watch 
by  holding  on  to  it  for  all  he  was  worth,  as  it  was  a 
present  from  his  father,  long  since  deceased,  but  the  rob- 
ber kicked  him  in  the  side,  face,  and  eye;  the  latter  he 
came  near  losing  afterwards.  The  robber  secured  the 
watch  and  fled,  leaving  the  victim  unconscious  and  nearly 
dead. 

How  long  Philip  Schneider  lay  there  from  the  effects 
of  the  brutal  beating  he  had  received  no  one  knows,  and 
he  might  have  succumbed  to  his  injuries  had  not  Detect- 
ive Wooldridge  had  occasion  to  pass  that  way,  and  found 
him  moaning  and  bleeding  by  the  side  of  the  plank  walk, 
the  latter  being  several  inches  higher  there  than  the 
ground. 

He  was  removed  to  the  hospital  in  the  police  ambu- 
lance, where  medical  aid  and  every  attention  was  given 
him.  Upon  the  recovery  of  his  reason  he  gave  an  intel- 
ligent report  of  what  had  taken  place,  together  with  a 
correct  and  minute  description  of  the  colored  robber  who 
had  brutally  beaten  and  robbed  him. 

Mr.  Schneider  further  stated  that  he  would  be  able 
to  recognize  his  assailant  among  a  million  men,  and  that 
he  could  pick  him  out  anywhere  on  sight. 

The  day  following,  June  6th,  Philip  Schneider  and 
Detective  Wooldridge  started  out  to  look  for  the  colored 
robber  in  Chicago,  a  city,  by  the  way,  of  nearly  two  mil- 
lion inhabitants.  It  was  a  big  undertaking,  and  alto- 
gether like  the  far-famed  search  for  a  needle  in  a  hay- 
stack; but  both  men  were  determined  that  this  highway- 


RIDL6  X  THIEF  TO  JAIL  123 

man  should  be  huntp4  lown,  arrested  and  brought  to 
justice. 

A  start  was  madii  froij  the  railway  depot  to  the  scene 
of  the  robbery;  then  every  colored  resort  and  saloon  on 
State  street  was  visited,  together  with  those  on  Dearborn 
street,  Custom  House  place,  and  Clark  street.  All  of 
these  places  were  searched  thoroughly,  and  the  search 
was  continued  to  the  side  streets.  While  this  search  was 
in  progress,  and  while  Philip  Schneider  and  Detective 
Wooldridge  were  passing  along  the  crowded  thorough- 
fare of  Polk  street,  between  Clark  street  and  Pacific 
avenue,  which  district  is  inhabited  and  frequented  by 
every  nationality  and  color,  they  saw  standing  at  the 
mouth  of  an  alley  three  colored  men,  drinking  from  an 
oyster  can  filled  with  beer. 

Philip  Schneider  discovered  that  he  was  face  to  face 
with  Eugene  Buchanan,  the  man  v/ho  so  brutally  beat 
and  robbed  him  the  night  before,  and  in  loud  tones  ex- 
claimed to  the  detective,  "There  is  the  man  who  robbed 
me.    Arrest  him !" 

At  first  Buchanan  tried  to  pass  it  off  as  a  joke,  but 
finding  that  his  subterfuge  failed,  he  then  said  he  could 
prove  that  he  was  in  company  with  the  two  men  present 
two  miles  from  the  scene  of  the  robbery,  and  that  he  had 
remained  there  all  night. 

This  statement  Detective  Wooldridge  knew  was  not 
true,  for  he  had  seen  Smith,  one  of  the  men  present,  and 
Buchanan  several  times  on  the  evening  before. 

Schneider  insisted  on  the  arrest  of  Buchanan,  and  De-" 
tective  Wooldridge  told  the  negro  that  he  must  accom- 
pany him  to  the  police  station. 

Schneider  pulled  a  revolver  from  his  pocket  and  kept 
at  bay  the  other  two  colored  men.     The  struggle  be- 


1.24         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tween  Buchanan  and  the  detective  was  hot  and  fierce, 
and  many  blows  were  exchanged.  The  detective,  how- 
ever, had  Buchanan  by  the  end  of  his  coat  sleeve,  next 
to  his  right  hand.  Qi  this  the  detective  had  a  firm  grip 
with  his  fingers  in  the  inside  of  the  coat  sleeve  and  the 
thumb  on  the  outside.  Wooldridge  had  the  use  of  his 
right  hand,  while  Buchanan's  right  hand  was  useless,  so 
long  as  Wooldridge  had  this  kind  of  a  hold.  But  Bu- 
chanan had  the  advantage  of  both  strength  and  weight, 
and  used  both  in  the  struggle,  by  getting  around  to  the 
back  of  the  detective. 

Then  getting  his  head  between  his  legs,  he  attempted 
to  throw  the  detective  over  his  head.  But  Buchanan  had 
picked  the  wrong  man,  for  Wooldridge  had  ridden  many 
bucking  bronchos  before,  and  when  Buchanan  rose  with 
the  detective  on  his  back,  Wooldridge  let  go  his  -coat 
s'f^eve  and  threw  his  arm  around  Buchanan's  neck,  and 
with  his  right  hand  drew  his  gun,  and  placing  the  muzzle 
of  the  same  in  Buchanan's  ear,  compelled  him  to  surren- 
der. 

Detective  Wooldridge  not  only  compelled  him  to  sur- 
render, but  forced  him  to  carry  him  on  his  back  to  the 
police  station,  while  he  held  the  revolver  to  his  head. 
This  is  the  first  record  of  a  police  officer,  after  capturing 
a  highway  robber,  riding  on  his  back  to  the  lock-up  with 
a  loaded  revolver  placed  against  his  head,  and  will  long 
be  remembered  by  those  who  witnessed  the  affair. 

E»;«gene  Buchanan  was  a  powerfully  built  colored  man, 
and  was  the  captain  of  as  well  an  organized  gang  of 
crooks  and  highwaymen  as  ever  infested  the  levee  dis- 
trict. 

The  gang  traveled  the  lonesome  streets  and  lay  in 
wait  for  their  victims  at  the  mouths  of  alleys  and  dark 


RIDES  A  THIEF  TO  JAIL  125 

hallways,  and  under  cover  of  darkness  pounced  upon  the 
unwary  and  unsuspecting  passers  without  any  warning. 
They  usually  throw  an  arm  around  his  neck  under  the 
chin,  and  pressing  downward  on  his  throat  thus  prevent 
the  victim  from  making  an  outcry,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  is  lifted  oE  the  ground.  This  is  called  the  strong- 
armed  strangler's  hold,  and  the  victim  is  entirely  at  the 
mercy  of  the  robber,  who  holds  him  fast  while  an  ac- 
complice relieves  him  of  his  valuables. 

Sometimes  a  highwayman  will  strike  down  his  victim 
first,  with  the  aid  of  a  slung  shot,  billy,  or  gun,  and  then, 
dragging  him  into  an  alley,  proceed  in  the  darkness  to 
rob  him  at  his  leisure,  and  this  kind  of  a  robber  generally 
is  not  satisfied  with  what  jewelry  and  money  he  can  se- 
cure, but  strips  his  victim  of  his  clothing,  hat,  shoes,  and 
stockings,  and  he  is  left  for  dead,  and,  if  still  alive,  is 
left  unconscious  to  freeze. 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  find  men  almost  daily 
left  in  this  condition  during  the  years  1891,  1892,  1893, 
and  1894. 

Sometimes  the  victim  would  recover  sufficiently  to 
make  his  way  to  the  police  station  and  report  the  occur- 
rence. As  a  rule,  the  victim  could  seldom  identify  any 
one,  and  clothing  was  usually  secured  for  him  by  taking 
up  a  subscription,  which  was  given  to  the  unfortunate 
man  as  he  passed  into  the  street,  and  then  the  case  was 
lost  sight  of  in  a  fresh  one. 

Another  method  in  vogue  among  these  robbers  was  to 
spring  out  from  some  dark  doorway  or  alley  upon  the 
victim,  and  at  the  point  of  a  revolver  compel  him  to 
throw  up  his  hands  while  he  was  relieved  of  his  valu- 
ables. 

The  police  reports  show  that  Eugene  Buchanan  did 


126         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

more  of  this  work  than  any  other  six  men  in  the  levee, 
district.  He  was  arrested  time  and  again,  only  to  be 
turned  loose,  because  nothing  could  be  proven  against 
him,  as  he  would  generally  resort  to  an  alibi. 

His  companions  in  crime  would  rally  to  his  assistance 
and  secure  his  liberty,  but  on  this  occasion  he  was  fooled 
for  once,  and  his  effort  to  prove  an  alibi  was  a  failure. 

Buchanan  was  held  to  the  grand  jury,  indicted,  and 
convicted  by  a  jury  in  Judge  Blank's  court  on  July  21, 
1894,  and  his  sentence  was  three  years  at  hard  labor  in 
the  penitentiary.  He  served  his  time  and  returned  to 
Chicago. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  in  attendance  at  court  one 
morning  at  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  shortly 
after  Eugene  Buchanan  returned,  when  he  was  surprised 
to  see  Buchanan  come  into  court  and  make  straight  for 
him.  Getting  within  speaking  distance,  he  asked  the 
detective  if  he  knew  him.  Wooldridge  replied  "Yes," 
calling  him  by  name.  Buchanan  then  asked  him  if  he 
had  any  personal  feeling  against  him.  Wooldridge  re- 
plied "No,"  stating  that  he  (Buchanan)  had  simply  been 
punished  for  what  he  had  done,  and  with  that  he  ex- 
tended to  him  his  hand  and  told  him  in  the  future  to  try 
and  lead  an  honest  life,  and  find  work  and  always  do 
what  was  right. 

At  that  Buchanan's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  he 
asked  the  detective  if  lie  would  not  give  him  a  letter  to 
help  him  get  work,  and  that  was  what  had  brought  him  to 
the  station.  Wooldridge  asked  him  if  he  was  in  earnest. 
Buchanan  dropped  on  his  knees,  and,  taking  the  detect- 
ive by  the  hand,  kissed  it  and  cried  like  a  child,  and  as- 
sured him  that  he  was  in  earnest,  and  that  he  would  per- 
sonally rather  have  a  few  lines  from  Wooldridge  than 


RIDES  A  THIEF  TO  JAIL  127 

from  either  the  governor  of  the  state  or  the  mayor  of  the 
city. 

Wooldridge  told  him  that  he  should  have  the  letter  the 
following  day,  and  he  would  also  assist  him  in  finding 
work,  and  in  addition  to  that  gave  him  two  dollars. 

The  matter  was  laid  before  Justice  Underwood  and 
Captain  Koch,  who  joined  Wooldridge  in  a  request  to 
Nelson  Morris  &  Co.,  the  packers,  where  he  secured 
work  and  remained  for  over  a  year.  After  working  for 
a  year  he  drifted  back  to  the  levee,  and  hunting  up  his 
old  companions  in  crime,  it  was  but  a  short  while  before 
he  was  on  the  road  again  holding  up  and  robbing  people. 

On  August  9,  1899,  R.  B.  Epperson,  of  1418  Wabash 
avenue,  in  company  with  Mrs.  C.  G.  Kingswell,  of  5616 
Drexel  boulevard,  was  walking  through  Washington 
park,  near  Fifty-second  street,  when  they  were  met  by 
Eugene  Buchanan,  who  represented  himself  as  an  offi- 
cer, and  placed  them  under  arrest  for  being  out  late. 
It  was  then  only  9:15.  Mr.  Epperson  was  very  indig- 
nant, and  demanded  to  be  taken  at  once  to  headquarters. 

Buchanan  then  seized  him,  took  his  gold  watch,  valued 
at  $50,  and  knocked  him  down.  Mrs.  C.  G.  Kingswell 
came  to  his  rescue,  snatching  a  long  steel  pin  from  her 
hat,  and  stuck  it  into  Buchanan's  head  repeatedly  until  he 
was  forced  to  release  Mr,  Epperson  and  defend  himself 
against  the  woman,  who  was  waging  a  hot  battle. 

Buchanan  struck  her  a  stinging  blow  in  the  face,  and 
Mr.  Epperson,  regaining  his  feet,  came  to  her  rescue) 
with  an  umbrella.  Buchanan  was  forced  to  retreat.  He 
met  several  citizens  several  hundred  feet  from  the  scene 
of  the  robbery.  He  told  them  that  the  man  and  woman 
had  attacked  him  without  cause,  and  that  he  had  a  mind 
to  go  back  and  cut  the  heart  out  of  the  man.    These  citi- 


128         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORBD  OF  CRIME 

zens  were  conversing  with  him  under  an  electric  light, 
where  they  had  an  opportunity  to  have  a  good  look  at 
him,  and  they  had  no  reason  to  doubt  him  until  Mr. 
Epperson  and  Mrs.  Kingswell  came  up  and  informed 
them  that  they  had  been  held  up  and  robbed.  Buchanan 
fled  upon  the  approach  of  his  victims. 

Mr,  Epperson  was  taken  to  the  Rogues'  Gallery  at 
the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  where  he  pointed 
out  Eugene  Buchanan's  picture  as  being  that  of  the  man 
who  had  robbed  him  at  Washington  Park  August  9th. 

Buchanan  was  arrested  August  15th,  and  identified  by 
Mr.  Epperson  and  Mrs.  Kingswell  and  two  citizens  who 
were  near  the  scene  of  robbery  on  that  night. 

The  watch  was  recovered  at  Newman's  pawnshop,  1804 
South  State  street,  where  it  was  pawned  for  $6,  and  Bu- 
chanan was  identified  as  the  man  who  pawned  it. 

When  he  was  arrested  Buchanan  sent  for  Detective 
Wooldridge,  and  upon  bended  knees  and  with  tears  flow- 
ing down  his  cheeks,  as  he  stood  behind  the  bars  at  the 
Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  Buchanan  declared  he 
was  an  innocent  man,  and  implored  Wooldridge  to  save 
him  from  his  enemies  who,  he  alleged,  were  trying  to 
railroad  him  to  the  penitentiary. 

Wooldridge  promised  him  that  he  would  be  on  hand 
the  next  morning  and  hear  the  evidence,  and  if  he  was 
satisfied  that  he  was  innocent  and  his  accusers  wrong, 
he  would  do  what  he  could  for  him. 

But  after  listening  to  the  evidence,  and  also  to  the  evi- 
dence of  the  two  officers  who  were  stationed  at  Washing- 
ton Park,  who  had  met  Buchanan  there  on  the  night  in 
question,  and  who  had  driven  him  from  the  park  on  sev- 
eral occasions  before,  and  after  seeing  the  wounds  made 
by  the  hat  pin  in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Kingswell,  which 


PAID  FOR  HIS  OWN  "EXTRAS"  129 

were  still  unhealed,  Wooldridge  informed  him  that  he 
could  not  do  anything  for  him. 

Eugene  Buchanan  was  arraigned  on  or  about  October 
5,  1899.  He  pleaded  guilty,  and  was  sentenced  to  the 
penitentiary  under  the  indeterminate  act,  and  will  prob- 
ably serve  twenty  years  or  more ;  and  it  is  to  be  devoutly 
hoped  it  may  be  more,  as  he  has  proven  himself  a  dan- 
gerous man. 


PAID  FOR  HIS  OWN  "EXTRAS." 

BARBER    GETS    INTO    TROUBLE    FOR    CHARGING    A    FARMER 
EXTGRTIGIJATE   PRICES. 

During  the  World's  Fair  it  was  a  common  occurrence 
for  barbers  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and  particularly 
in  the  vicinity  of  Jackson  Park,  to  charge  a  customer  $5 
for  a  shave,  hair  cut,  and  for  extras,  but  as  late  as  in 
1896,  three  years  after  the  great  White  City  had  become 
only  a  memory,  Toney  Fera  revived  the  custom,  but  he 
was  compelled  to  pay  for  his  own  extras  in  this  case. 

To^ey  had  a  shop  at  351  Fifth  avenue.  A  German 
farmer  from  the  interior  of  the  state  stepped  into  .the 
shop  and  asked  for  a  hair  cut.  The  barber  kept  at  work 
on  the  farmer,  putting  in  extras,  notwithstanding  the 
protests  made  by  his  customer,  and  when  he  had  finished 
presented  a  bill  for  $5.  The  farmer  protested  again,  de- 
claring the  charge  was  too  much.  The  barber  locked  the 
door,  and  said  he  would  not  open  it  until  he  got  the 
money.     Then  the  customer  paid  the  bill. 

Going  out,  he  found  Detective  Wooldridge,  and  told 
him  of  his  trouble.  Wooldridge  arrested  the  barber,  and 
charged  him  with  thirteen  different  violations  of  the  crim- 


130         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

inal  and  municipal  codes.  These  included  robbery  by  in- 
timidation, false  imprisonment,  threat  to  kill,  assault,  im- 
personating an  officer,  having  obscene  pictures,  carrying 
concealed  weapons,  cruelty  to  animals,  resisting  an  offi- 
cer, using  profane  language,  and  disorderly  conduct. 

Never  before  had  a  barber  been  given  a  chance  to 
realize  what  a  heinous  criminal  he  was  when  he  tried  to 
get  in  a  bill  for  extras. 

Toney  presented  in  court  an  itemized  bill,  which  sug- 
gests that  he  should  be  indicted  for  butchery  of  the  Eng- 
lish language  also.    Here  it  is,  verbatim  et  literatim: 


PUTTING  ON  THE  EXTRAS. 

Hare   cutting   25 

Mustached  Died   50 

Hare   Shinged    25 

Egg  Shampo   35 

Hare  die   3.25 

Hare  Tonic    10 

Shave    15 

Lylock  Perfome  15 


$5-00 


DEVILS  IN  SHEEP'S  CLOTHING  131 

All  of  this,  Fera  claimed,  had  been  ordered  by  the 
farmer  and  received  by  him. 

"Your  honor,"  said  Assistant  City  Prosecutor  Thomp- 
son, "let  the  head  and  face  of  the  complaining  witness 
be   introduced  as   evidence,   and  marked   'Exhibit  A.'  " 

This  was  accordingly  done,  and  two  expert  witnesses 
were  sworn  by  the  defense. 

As  a  result  the  barber  was  held  to  the  criminal  court 
in  $500  bonds,  the  justice  saying  this  practice  of  making 
excessive  charges  was  as  bad  as  highway  robbery. 

The  grand  jury  heard  the  case,  but  failed  to  indict  the 
barber,  and  he  was  discharged,  yet  the  experience  proved 
a  valuable  lesson  to  Fera,  and  one  which  he  will  long  re- 
member. 


DEVILS  IN  SHEEP'S  CLOTHING. 

COMPEL    WOMEN    TO    DEPRAVE    THEMSELVES    TO    SUPPORT 
THEM    IN    LUXURY. 

Many  sad  stories  of  depravity  are  heard  in  the  slums 
of  a  big  city,  and  the  police  meet  often  with  criminals  and 
vicious  characters  for  whom  they  feel  some  sympathy. 
A  case  of  this  character  came  to  the  notice  of  Detective 
Wooldridge  in  1896,  in  which  a  frail  woman  had  to  de- 
grade herself  in  many  ways  to  support  a  man  in  idleness 
and  luxury.  F.  S.  Gray,  who  had  a  good  trade,  but 
abandoned  it  for  a  life  of  ease  at  the  expense  of  a  woman 
who  assumed  his  name,  is  the  man  who  brought  upon 
himself  the  contempt  of  every  one  and  the  wrath  of  the 
police. 

He  and  the  woman  lived  at  412^/2  State  street.  She 
had  consumption,  was  very  weak,  and  was  frequently 


122         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

attacked  with  hemorrhages.  But  the  condition  of  the 
scarlet  woman  made  no  difference  to  Gray.  He  com- 
pelled her  to  go  into  the  street  from  darkness  until  the 
late  hours  of  the  morning  to  lead  a  life  of  shame  in  order 
that  he  might  have  money  to  live  a  life  of  ease,  dress, 
gamble,  and  visit  the  race  tracks  and  theaters.  If  she 
returned  to  their  miserable  home  without  her  pockets 
well  filled,  she  was  certain  to  receive  a  severe  beating 
from  this  brute,  who  did  not  deserve  the  name  of  man. 

Finally,  the  poor  woman  could  stand  the  abuse  and 
beating  no  longer,  and  left  him. 

One  day  when  the  woman  was  out,  Gray  went  to  the 
room  where  they  had  been  living,  and  proceeded  to  cut 
up  all  her  clothing,  which  was  worth  over  $300.  Most 
of  it  had  been  given  her  by  her  sister. 

The  villain  began  on  her  dresses  and  cut  them  up,  until 
one  would  scarcely  know  whether  they  ever  were  dresses. 
He  next  commenced  on  her  underclothing,  cutting  them 
into  small  shreds.    They  made  a  pile  some  four  feet  high. 

There  was  not  a  rag  of  her  clothing,  except  what  she 
was  wearing,  that  escaped  his  knife.  She  came  home  and 
found  the  wreck  he  had  left,  and  then  made  complaint  to 
the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  and  procured  a  war- 
rant for  his  arrest,  having  found  that  two  of  the  inmates 
of  the  house  had  seen  him  do  the  cutting. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  arrest  him,  and 
going  to  the  house,  he  found  Gray  locked  in  a  room.  He 
refused  to  open  the  door,  which  had  to  be  forced.  Gray 
had  succeeded  in  climbing  up  on  a  transom  over  a  door, 
which  separates  two  rooms,  and  when  Wooldridge  en- 
tered he  dropped  down  to  the  floor  into  the  next  room. 
This  door  was  also  forced,  and  he  again  eluded  the  de- 
tective in  the  same  way. 


DEVILS  IN  SHEEP'S  CLOTHING  133 

Finally,  after  four  doors  were  forced,  he  was  captured 
and  locked  up  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  charged 
with  malicious  mischief,  which  is  a  penitentiary  offense. 
When  he  saw  what  a  serious  difficulty  he  had  got  himself 
into,  he  secured  a  continuance  for  ten  days,  paid  for  the 
clothes,  and  the  prosecution  was  dropped. 

Another  case  in  every  way  similar  to  the  above  was 
that  of  a  frail  woman  of  the  levee  district  who  staggered 
into  the  police  station  one  day,  and  as  soon  as  she  was 
able  to  speak  asked  for  warrants  for  George  Ludwig,  a 
man  with  whom  she  had  been  living  and  whom  she  had 
been  supporting  for  years  by  depraving  herself. 

He  had  just  beaten  her  and  had  taken  her  watch  and 
a  few  cents,  all  the  money  she  had. 

The  woman  told  a  long  and  pitiable  story  of  ill  treat- 
ment at  the  hands  of  Ludwig.  Several  times  a  day,  she 
said,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  beating  her  because  she  could 
not  earn  enough  money  to  keep  him  dressed  in  the  latest 
fashion. 

"Night  and  day  I  toiled  to  earn  money  for  him,  and, 
although  I  gave  him  every  cent  I  made,  he  beat  and 
kicked  me  until  I  am  at  present  so  weak  I  can  hardly 
stand  on  my  feet,"  she  said,  between  sobs. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  given  the  warrants,  and 
after  some  difficulty  arrested  Ludwig,  who  is  a  pow- 
erfully built  man  and  has  not  done  any  work  for  years, 
compelling  this  woman  to  support  him.  After  he  was 
arrested  he  succeeded  in  getting  some  of  his  countrymen 
and  friends  to  go  to  the  woman  and  get  her  not  to  pros- 
ecute him. 


134         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

A   BRAVE  AND   HEROIC   ACT. 

J.  Medendorp,  the  driver  for  the  Bee  Hive  Laundry, 
735  Ogden  avenue,  was  driving  his  wagon  at  Twenty- 
sixth  and  Halsted  streets  when  the  wagon  was  struck 
by  a  south-bound  electric  car,  and  Medendorp  was 
thrown  over  the  dashboard  upon  the  shafts,  but  he  man- 
aged to  grab  the  horse's  tail  and  hung  on.  The  horse 
took  fright  and  ran  away,  and  Officer  Wooldridge,  at 
great  risk  to  his  life,  sprang  into  the  street  and  seized 
the  horse's  bit  and  held  on.  He  was  dragged  for  nearly 
a  block  before  the  horse  was  stopped.  Medendorp,  the 
driver,  received  a  scalp  wound  on  the  back  of  the  head, 
and  in  addition  to  this  had  his  shoulder  bruised. 

A  large  number  of  children  were  playing  in  the  street 
only  a  few  feet  from  where  the  horse  was  brought  to  a 
standstill  through  the  bravery  and  fearlessness  of  Officer 
Wooldridge. 


HE  YIELDED  TO  TEMPTATION. 

MAN    PASSES   COUNTERFEIT    MONEY,    BUT    CIRCUMSTANCES 
SECURE  HIS  ACQUITTAL. 

No  matter  how  good  a  man  is  at  heart  nor  how  good 
his  intentions  are,  he  will  sometimes  yield  to  temptation, 
ju^  as  Wm,  Skinner  did  when  he  passed  some  counter- 
feit money  in  Chicago  in  1892  and  was  arrested  by  De- 
tective Wooldridge. 

Skinner  formerly  lived  in  a  Missouri  town  and  failed 
in  business.  The  sheriff  seized  his  goods  to  satisfy  a 
judgment  which  had  been  returned  against  him,  and  then 
he  found  himself  almost  penniless,  with  a  sick  wife  and 
two  half-grown  girl  children  to  car^  for.  The  only  prop- 
erty he  had  left  was  a  wagon  and  two  horses. 


HE  YIELDED  TO  TEMPTATION  135 

The  doctor  advised  him  to  take  his  wife  to  a  cooler 
climate,  thinking  it  would  help  her.  Having  no  money, 
he  placed  his  sick  wife  in  the  wagon,  making  her  as  com- 
fortable as  possible,  and  with  the  children  started  tor 
Illinois,  stopping  at  various  places  and  working  at  har- 
vesting, which  was  going  on  at  that  time.  The  girls 
managed  to  procure  a  little  work  frequently  at  the  same 
places.  Mrs.  Skinner  began  to  improve,  and  when  the 
harvest  season  was  over  in  Illinois,  Mr.  Skinner  drove 
through  to  Michigan,  and  during  the  strawberry  season, 
with  the  help  of  the  two  girls,  they  saved  a  little  money. 

The  old  wagon,  which  had  given  them  shelter  and 
served  them  as  a  home,  was  again  called  into  use,  the 
horses  hitched  to  it,  Mrs.  Skinner  and  her  two  children 
placed  aboard,  and  a  start  made  for  old  Missouri,  where 
they  had  friends  and  expected  to  find  help. 

On  the  road  from  Michigan  to  Chicago,  Mrs.  Skinner, 
had  another  bad  attack,  and  when  Chicago  was  reached 
death  was  expected  at  any  moment.  Skinner  had  ex- 
pended every  penny  he  had  saved  during  the  summer, 
and  his  family  was  in  a  distressed  condition,  and  yet  he 
was  three  hundred  miles  from  friends. 

When  Mr.  Skinner  was  in  business  in  Missouri,  a 
book  agent  called  one  day  and  sold  him  a  publication 
which  contained  information  for  the  detection  of  counter- 
feit money.  In  the  book  were  a  large  number  of  the  faces 
of  genuine  and  bad  bills  on  thick  blotting  paper. 

Permission  had  been  given  a  company  to  manufacture 
and  sell  this  book,  representing  both  back  and  front  of 
the  bills.  The  government  plates  had  been  loaned  to  the 
company,  and  it  was  sold  through  the  country  to  banks 
and  business  men,  who  were  handling  money,  to  teach 
them  how  to  detect  bad  money. 


136         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Skinner  cut  a  number  of  bills  from  the  book,  then  split 
the  paper,  and  placing  it  on  a  stone,  worked  it  down  until 
it  was  one-half  the  thickness  of  a  paper  bill.  When  he 
had  both  the  back  and^  front  of  the  bill  ready,  he  would 
stick  them  together,  press  it  out  and  let  it  dry.  He  had 
some  ten  or  fifteen  bills  prepared  ranging  from  $io  to 
$ioo  bills. 

He  then  selected  a  pawnbroker  to  pass  one  of  the  bills 
on,  and  going  into  his  place  bought  a  shotgun  and  several 
other  little  articles,  and  tendered  one  of  the  $ioo  bills, 
which  was  detected,  and  Skinner's  arrest  followed  by 
Detective  Wooldridge.  He  was  held  in  bonds  to  the 
grand  jury  by  Commissioner  Hoyne. 

Skinner's  former  good  character,  the  condition  of  his 
family,  and  the  fact  of  the  government  being  a  party 
to  the  printing  of  the  notes,  which  offered  the  inducement 
to  him  to  do  wrong,  and  this  being  his  first  offense,  to- 
gether with  other  circumstances,  induced  the  authorities 
to  allow  him  to  go  on  his  own  recognizance,  with  a  prom- 
ise to  show  up  when  he  was  wanted. 

Captain  Porter,  United  States  Secret  Service  officer,  in 
charge  at  Chicago,  the  United  States  marshal  and  the 
state's  attorney  even  gave  him  some  money  to  help  his 
distressed  family. 

Skinner  secured  employment,  and  when  the  federal 
grand  jury  first  met,  he  reported  at  the  United  States 
marshal's  office,  telling  them  where  he  could  be  found  if 
they  wanted  him,  and  several  times  during  the  term  he 
reported  to  see  if  he  was  wanted. 

All  the  facts  were  presented  to  the  grand  jury,  and  no 
bill  was  returned.  Skinner  was  allowed  to  go  his  way 
and  sin  no  more. 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE  137 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE. 

CASE   IN    WHICH   DETECTIVES  AND  ALL  BRANCHES  OF  THE 
POLICE  DEPARTMENT  WERE  PUZZLED. 

One  of  the  most  mysterious  cases  that  ever  fell  to 
the  lot  of  the  Police  Department  to  investigate  and  one 
which  puzzled  every  one,  from  the  chief  down  to  the  pa- 
trolman, and  which  also  made  the  shrewdest  newspaper 
reporters  of  Chicago  look  like  amateurs,  was  one  in  which 
a  woman  called  Rose  Wallace  figured  in  the  early  part  of 
1899.  She  duped  every  one  with  whom  she  had  any  con- 
nection, not  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  her  amenable  to 
the  laws  or  in  a  manner  which  would  make  her  liable  to 
criminal  or  civil  prosecution,  but  in  a  spirit  of  adventure 
and  in  a  mad  desire  for  notoriety.  In  the  latter  desire 
she  attained  wonderful  success,  and  also  added  a  consid- 
erable amount  to  her  bank  account. 

The  stories  of  her  which  were  printed  in  the  daily  pa- 
pers at  that  time  would  fill  a  volume,  and  yet  there  was 
very  little  truth  in  any  of  them  until  she  chose  to  tell 
them  the  real  story  of  her  life,  and  it  is  even  doubtful  if 
all  or  any  part  of  that  was  true. 

The  facts  as  they  are  best  sustained  by  Detective  Wool- 
dridge,  who  worked  on  the  case,  are  that  she  came  to 
Chicago  from  an  Indiana  town  with  a  street  showman 
and  museum  agent  named  Franklin,  and  boarded  in  the 
same  house  with  him  on  West  Madison  street;  that  she 
got  tired  of  Chicago  and  determined  to  go  back  to  Indi- 
ana; that  she  packed  up  her  baggage  and  went  to  the 
Dearborn  street  station ;  that  she  wandered  out  from 
there  while  waiting  for  a  train  and  met  a  Frenchman 
who  was  a  cook  in  a  restaurant,  who  took  her  to  a  house 


138         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

on  Wabash  avenue,  where  she  staid  for  some  days,  and 
then  met  a  man  named  George  Gagne,  who  gained  her 
confidence  and  to  whom  she  told  stories  about  vast 
amounts  of  property  she  had  in  Indiana. 

Gagne,  who  was  a  sport  and  always  looking  for  the 
best  of  a  good  thing,  believed  the  girl  was  telling  him 
the  truth,  pretended  to  be  in  love  with  her,  proposed 
marriage,  was  accepted,  had  a  bogus  ceremony  per- 
formed, went  to  Indiana  with  her  to  get  money,  was  de- 
nied the  right  to  take  possession  of  it  without  a  legal 
marriage  certificate,  returned  to  Chicago,  procured  a 
marriage  license  in  the  city  hall,  and  was  married  on  the 
spot  by  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  returned  with  his  wife 
to  Evansville,  armed,  as  he  thought,  with  sufficient  au- 
thority to  make  a  legal  claim  to  his  wife's  property. 

From  this  time  on  the  plot  thickened  and  changed 
so  often  that  every  one  connected  with  it  was  deceived. 
When  George  Gagne  and  his  wife  reached  Evansville, 
they  walked  up  a  street  toward  the  hotel.  A  handsome 
carriage  came  toward  them,  and  it  was  pointed  out  as 
being  the  property  of  his  wife.  Gagne  stopped  the  driver, 
told  him  he  would  take  charge  of  the  vehicle  as  the 
husband  of  Rose  Wallace,  He  drove  the  team  into  a 
livery  stable  and  ordered  that  it  be  well  taken  care  of. 

Gagne  then  went  to  Attorney  Home,  who  was  said  to 
be  the  custodian  of  the  woman's  property,  and  made  ar- 
rangements to  have  it  transferred  to  Chicago.  He  said 
they  were  going  to  Montreal,  Canada,  to  live. 

It  was  claimed  that  Home  was  to  come  to  Chicago  and 
deposit  $17,000  for  the  woman  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  and  also  to  send  here  $14,000  worth  of  diamonds 
she  was  supposed  to  possess. 

The  diamonds  were  to  be  brought  by  a  supposed  sister 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE       139 

of  Rose,  whose  name  she  said  was  Gertrude  and  who  was 
only  sixteen  years  old. 

Gagne  secured  rooms  for  his  wife  near  the  depot,  and 
on  the  day  that  the  Httle  sister  was  to  arrive  he  went  to 
the  postofifice.  While  he  was  gone  his  wife  left  the  room 
and  went  out  shopping.  What  she  bought  was  a  wig 
with  a  long  braid  to  hang  down  the  back,  a  short  skirt, 
and  a  few  other  articles  with  which  to  disguise  herself 
as  the  little  sister.  Then  she  went  to  the  Newport 
Hotel  on  Monroe  street,  took  a  room,  and  "made  up" 
as  a  young  girl  in  short  frocks. 

Then  she  went  to  the  depot,  as  it  was  near  the  time 
for  the  train  from  Evansville  to  arrive.  She  had  in  her 
hand  the  little  box  in  which  the  $14,000  worth  of  dia- 
monds were  supposed  to  be  packed.  Taking  her  seat, 
she  calmly  watched  the  hurrying  passengers  arriving 
and  departing,  and  kept  a  keen  eye  on  the  policeman 
who  passed  up  and  down  the  corridor. 

In  the  meantime  George  returned  from  the  postoffice, 
and  found  his  wife  gone,  but  supposed  she  would  return 
soon.  He  waited  until  it  was  time  for  the  train  to  ar- 
rive, and  then  went  to  the  depot,  thinking  his  wife  might 
be  there  waiting  for  her  sister.  He  searched  the  waiting 
rooms,  and  then  watched  the  passengers  who  got  off  the 
train.  He  did  not  see  his  wife  in  the  crowd  which  was 
awaiting  nor  any  one  leaving  the  train  whom  he  thought 
might  be  her  sister. 

He  started  back  to  his  room  to  see  if  his  wife  had 
gone  there.  While  he  was  gone,  the  wife,  posing  as  her 
little  sister,  gained  the  sympathy  of  Officer  Kelley  by 
crying  and  sobbing  like  one  in  great  distress.  Passengers 
around  the  depot  looked  at  her  with  pity  written  in  their 
faces,  and  the  big  policeman  looked  out  of  the  window 
to  restrain  ^tear. 


INCIDENTS  AT  THE  POLICE  STATION. 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE        141 

She  said  she  had  come  from  Evansville  and  expected 
to  meet  her  sister  and  brother-in-law  at  the  depot.  Fail- 
ing to  find  either  one  of  them,  and  being  a  stranger,  she 
said  she  was  very  much  alarmed  and  didn't  know  where 
to  go.  She  said  her  name  was  Gertrude  Wallace,  of  Ev- 
ansville, Indiana.  The  officer  then  took  her  to  the  Har- 
rison Street  Police  Station  Annex,  where  she  was  turned 
over  to  the  matron. 

After  this  Gagne  appeared  at  the  police  station,  and 
very  excitedly  asked  assistance  in  finding  his  wife.  He 
said  his  sister-in-law  was  expected  to  arrive  here  in  the 
afternoon,  and  when  he  had  first  missed  his  wife  he 
supposed  she  had  gone  to  the  depot  to  meet  the  young 
woman.  Gagne  did  not  have  a  very  creditable  reputation 
in  police  circles,  and  his  story  was  looked  upon  with 
some  suspicion,  especially  by  Detective  Wooldridge,  who 
was  present  when  he  visited  the  station.  Gagne  professed 
to  believe  that  the  disappearance  of  his  wife  was  the  re- 
sult of  a  plot  to  separate  him  from  her  and  her  estate  of 
$128,000.  His  threatening  attitude  towards  Detective 
Wooldridge,  who  knew  his  history  well  and  reminded 
him  of  it,  caused  the  officer  to  plainly  tell  him  what  his 
suspicions  were.  In  a  bold  and  dramatic  manner  Gagne 
declared  he  was  worth  $128,000,  and  would  split  half 
of  it  for  the  purpose  of  getting  even  with  the  detective, 
who  had  been  brave  enough  to  tell  him  what  he  was.  In 
the  meantime  the  girl,  who  was  no  other  than  Gagne's 
wife  in  disguise,  had  been  told  of  Gagne's  character  and 
reputation  and  warned  against  him. 

The  police  at  last  became  suspicious  concerning  the 
disappearance  of  Gagne's  wife,  not  having  yet  been  able 
to  penetrate  the  disguise  she  wore.  It  was  known  that 
Gagne  would  do  almost  anything  to  get  possession  of  as 


142         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

large  a  sum  of  money  as  he  claimed  his  wife  had.  It  was 
feared  that  he  might  have  disposed  of  his  wife,  or  even 
caused  her  death  in  some  way  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
this  money,  to  which  he  would  have  been  a  legal  heir. 
When  after  three  days  the  missing  wife  was  not  found 
and  all  efforts  to  locate  her  had  been  in  vain,  Gagne  was 
arrested  and  locked  up  to  be  held  until  the  mystery  was 
solved.  All  this  time  the  girl  in  short  dresses  was  in 
the  possession  of  the  matron  at  the  annex,  and  spend- 
ing a  large  portion  of  her  time  crying  and  sobbing  over 
the  loss  of  her  sister  Rose.  Finally,  Detective  Wool- 
dridge  went  to  the  annex,  carrying  some  fruit  which 
,  he  gave  to  the  girl,  and  began  to  talk  with  her.  She 
brightened  up  and  talked  freely  with  the  detective. 

She  had  ceased  crying,  and  had  removed  the  handker- 
chief which  she  had  used  to  dry  her  tears  for  two  days 
from  her  eyes,  which  gave  the  detective  an  opportunity 
to  scrutinize  her  closely.  In  descriptions  given  the  de- 
tective of  the  missing  woman,  one  fact  had  been  stated 
which  furnished  Wooldridge  a  clue  by  which  he  solved 
the  mystery.  In  these  descriptions  it  was  said  that  Mrs. 
Gagne  had  a  "cast"  in  one  of  her  eyes.  The  detective 
remembered  this,  and  observed  that  the  girl  who  sat  be- 
fore him  also  had  a  "cast"  in  her  eye.  He  thought  it 
would  be  strange  should  two  sisters  be  marked  so  per- 
fectly alike.  He  observed  the  long  braid  of  hair  hang- 
ing down  her  back,  and  after  making  a  careful  inspection 
he  could  see  that  the  woman  wore  a  wig.  Then,  by  a 
quick  jerk,  as  if  by  accident,  he  pulled  the  braid  and  wig 
from  the  girl's  head  and  saw  before  him  not  sixteen- 
year-old  Gertrude  Wallace,  but  Mrs.  Rose  Wallace 
Gagne,  the  missing  wife  for  whom  such  a  diligent 
search  had  been  made. 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE       143 

The  woman  then  and  there  acknowledged  that  she 
was  Mrs.  Rose  Gagne,  and  that  she  had  disguised  her- 
self to  escape  from  her  husband,  who,  she  claimed,  had 
beaten  and  ill-treated  her.  She  said  she  had  determined 
to  leave  him,  and  adopted  this  plan  for  the  purpose  of 
making  her  escape.  Then  she  asked  the  police  to  give 
her  protection,  as  she  was  afraid  the  man  would  kill 
her.  When  this  protection  was  promised  and  she  was 
assured  that  no  harm  would  come  to  her  as  long  as  she 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  police,  she  told  the  story  of  her 
life  and  her  property,  which  not  only  surprised  the  Police 
Department,  but  all  the  newspaper  reporters  who  had 
been  trying  to  solve  the  mystery  which  surrounded  her. 
She  said  Gagne  only  wanted  her  money,  that  he  had 
locked  her  in  the  rooms  which  they  occupied,  and  she 
took  advantage  of  his  leaving  the  door  unlocked  one 
afternoon  to  make  her  escape. 

Continuing,  she  said :  "My  little  sister  Gertrude  was 
to  have  come  to  Chicago  and  joined  me  here.  When  I 
married  George  Gagne  I  thought  he  was  a  man  that  real- 
ly cared  for  me  and  saved  me  from  a  Wabash  avenue  re- 
sort, to  which  I  was  sent  through  my  ignorance.  When 
I  found  out  what  kind  of  a  man  he  was,  when  he  had 
beaten  me  and  once  knocked  me  senseless  and  left  me 
unconscious  until  I  recovered  the  next  morning,  I  wrote 
to  Gertrude  not  to  come,  and  then  I  began  to  lay  my 
plans  to  get  away  from  the  man  who  married  me.  As 
long  as  he  was  at  liberty,  I  was  afraid  of  him,  but  now 
that  he  is  locked  up  in  a  cell,  I  feel  at  liberty  to  talk.  He 
has  not  concealed  the  fact  that  he  was  after  my  property 
alone.  He  always  kept  a  revolver  at  hand  when  he  was 
in  the  room,  and  had  given  me  to  understand  that  he 
would  use  it  to  gain  his  ends,  if  necessary.     I  watched 


144        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

my  opportunity,  and  when  he  left  the  house  I  ran  away. 
My  first  intentions  were  to  get  him  into  the  hands  of  the 
police,  but  I  was  afraid  they  would  not  believe  my  story, 
and  so  I  adopted  this  course. 

"The  story  of  my  property  is  absolutely  true.  I  would 
have  inherited  a  farm  from  my  grandmother  if  I  hadn't 
married  this  man.  The  money  in  question  is  represented 
by  mine  stocks  deposited  in  a  vault  in  Chihuahua,  Mex- 
ico." 

The  woman  then  asked  the  detective  to  send  to  the 
Newport  Hotel  for  her  clothes.  In  the  meantime  George 
Gagne  was  told  that  the  "little  sister"  in  the  Harrison 
Street  Annex  was  his  wife.  He  laughed  at  this,  and 
said  he  would  like  to  have  a  few  puffs  at  the  same  pipe 
smoked  by  his  informant.  Finally,  however,  after  be- 
ing assured  that  the  girl  was  really  his  wife,  he  consented 
to  go  up  and  have  a  talk  with  her.  When  he  stepped 
into  the  woman's  presence  and  saw  the  same  old  smile 
on  his  wife's  face  which  caused  him  to  give  up  several 
hundred  of  his  dollars,  he  seemed  like  one  in  a  dream. 
He  seized  a  chair  and  dropped  into  it  as  if  he  was  com- 
pletely exhausted.  Then  he  recovered  and  his  face  be- 
came crimson.  He  saw  the  cute  little  miss  that  duped 
him,  and  saw  the  crowd  of  officers  enjoying  his  dis- 
comfort. 

It  seemed  that  all  his  violent  love,  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  kindled  by  the  story  of  great  wealth  told  by 
her,  had  gone  out  and  nothing  but  the  ashes  of  love  re- 
mained. He  was  the  picture  of  despair  as  he  sat  look- 
ing into  the  face  of  the  woman  who  had  so  completely 
deceived  him. 

Mrs.  Gagne  was  not  so  sure  of  her  safety  from  her 
husband,  and  remained  at  tbf"  citation  another  day.     In 


MYSTERV:'  OF  ROSE  WALLACE  145 

the  meantime,  it  was  charged  that  she  had  taken  some 
clothing  from  the  place  on  West  Madison  street,  where 
she  boarded,  and  the  owner  swore  out  a  warrant  for 
her,  on  which  she  was  arrested  and  held. 

This  was  finally  settled  in  some  way,  but  when  she 
was  arraigned  the  next  morning  on  this  charge,  Frank- 
lin, the  museum  man,  was  present,  and  recognized  her  as 
the  woman  he  had  engaged  in  the  Indiana  town  and 
brought  to  Chicago.  The  girl  acknowledged  the  ac- 
quaintance, and  then  he  had  a  few  minutes'  conversa- 
tion with  her  in  a  low  tone.  After  that  he  announced 
that  he  had  engaged  her  to  appear  in  a  museum  as  a 
freak,  and  said  he  would  begin  her  engagement  as  soon 
as  she  got  out  of  her  trouble  and  had  gotten  a  divorce. 

The  woman  then  said  she  had  been  an  acrobat  ever 
since  she  was  four  years  old.  She  said  her  mother  was 
an  acrobat  for  ten  years.  Then  she  declared  that  she 
had  been  traveling  with  circuses  during  the  summer  and 
spending  her  winters  near  Evansville,  Ind.,  where,  she 
said,  she  really  had  a  sister.  The  greater  part  of  the 
time,  she  declared,  she  acted  in  Mexico. 

When  asked  about  her  fortune  in  or  near  Evansville, 
she  declared  that  part  of  her  story  was  a  fake.  She  said 
she  had  a  sister  living  there  with  nice,  plain  people,  but 
she  had  no  property  there. 

She  went  into  the  museum  afterward  at  a  salary  of 
$50  a  week,  and  later  this  was  raised  to  perhaps  twice 
the  amount.  Gagne  did  not  oppose  her  petition  for  a 
divorce,  and  she  was  giv6n  a  decree.  He  acknowledged 
he  had  been  cleverly  duped,  and  that  the  experience 
had  cost  him  $900. 

The  story  which  Mrs.  Gagne  first  told  in  Chicago, 
and  which  it  is  believed  is  the  ont  that  caused  George 


146         HANDS  UP.  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Gagne  to  marry  her,  was  that  her  mother  was  the  widow 
of  Thomas  Wallace,  a  California  miner,  who  had  died 
recently,  leaving  the  girl  $130,000.  This  was  to  be  hers 
when  she  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  She  further 
claimed  that  she  would  come  into  possession  of  $50,000 
more  at  the  death  of  her  grandmother,  a  Mrs.  Milburn, 
of  Evansville.  She  said  her  father  and  mother  had  sep- 
arated before  the  former  went  to  California. 

She  also  declared  that  her  grandmother  had  $14,000 
worth  of  diamonds  in  her  possession  which  belonged  to 
her,  and  that  she  was  the  owner  of  283  acres  of  land 
near  Evansville.  A  lawyer  named  Home  attended  to 
her  financial  affairs.  The  girl  persisted  in  this  story 
until  after  the  climax  at  the  police  station.  It  was  dis- 
covered by  the  police  that  if  such  a  man  as  Home  ex- 
isted he  was  playing  a  role  to  carry  out  her  schemes. 
Careful  investigation  failed  to  show  that  she  had  any 
property  in  or  near  Evansville,  or  that  she  had  the  dia- 
monds of  which  she  so  often  spoke.  The  Chief  of  Po- 
lice of  Evansville  was  requested  to  investigate  the  ro- 
mance, and  he  declared  that  if  the  woman  ever  lived 
there  or  in  Vanderburgh  county,  of  which  Evansville  is 
the  county  seat,  or  if  there  was  ever  in  that  locality  any 
such  estate  as  the  woman  claimed  to  own,  either  in  land 
or  personal  property,  the  people  of  that  vicinity  had 
never  found  it  out. 

The  police  there  failed  to  trace  the  locality  of  anj  per- 
son having  landed  property  in  the  county  by  the  name  of 
Mary  Milburn.  The  Attorney  Horne  spoken  of  by  the 
girl  as  having  been  charged  with  the  settlement  of  the 
estate  was  not  known  there.  Investigation  was  made 
there  also  by  several  Chicago  newspaper  reporters,  some 
of  whom  reached  the  conclusion  that  a  part  of  the  girl's 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE       147 

story  in  reference  to  her  owning  property  in  the  vicinity 
was  true,  yet  others  declared  that  there  was  much  doubt 
as  to  the  truth  of  her  story.  It  has  never  been  fully 
established  by  the  police  or  the  press  that  she  had  prop- 
erty in  the  vicinity  of  Evansville,  or  that  she  had  a  sis- 
ter named  Gertrude.  The  woman  told  so  many  different 
and  conflicting  stories  concerning  herself  that  the  police 
have  always  been  skeptical  as  to  the  truth  of  anything 
she  said.  While  the  investigations  were  in  progress. 
Detective  Wooldridge  received  the  following  letter : 

Chicago,  Jan.  i8,  1899. 
Officer  Wooldridge,  of  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station: 

Dear  Sir — Having  read  the  "Gagne"  article  in  tiie  papers  last 
night,  I  noticed  your  name  connected  with  the  same;  so  please 
allow  me  to  suggest  to  you  that  Gagne  is  up  against  the  real 
thing  if  he  paid  these  people  anything,  with  hopes  of  landing 
some  easy  money  in  large  bunches.  I  was  born  and  raised  in 
Evansville,  Ind.,  and  have  been  there  recently,  so  these  people 
must  have  been  under  cover  the  last  twenty-six  y^ars.  as  I  have 
known  everybody  in  Evansville  from  the  mayor  to  the  street 
urchins,  but  can't  recall  these  wealthy  ( ?)  Wallace  girls,  so  I 
think  Gagne  got  the  short  end  of  his  own  game. 

Jack  Doherty, 
"Evansville  Kid,"  Boxer. 

The  whole  case  presents  many  strange  features,  and  it 
is  still,  in  some  respects,  a  mystery.  The  many  stories 
told  by  the  woman  cannot  be  reconciled.  It  was  thought 
by  some  that  she  and  Gagne  had  pre-arranged  and 
planned  the  whole  thing,  and  that  there  was  really  some 
property  somewhere  of  which  they  expected  to  get  pos- 
session. Then  it  was  suggested  that  some  one,  who  is 
still  under  cover,  planned  with  Rose  Wallace  to  fleece 
Gagne,  but  this  is  not  sustained  by  the  results;  because 
all  the  money  Gagne  spent  was  in  payment  for  the  wom- 
an's clothes,  jewelry,  board,  etc. 


148         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Gagne  is  a  well-known  levee  character  who  formerly 
posed  as  a  professional  bondsman.  He  had  been  living 
a  long  time  with  a  woman  named  Georgia  White,  and 
the  police  discovered  that  Georgia  White  knew  all  about 
Gagne's  plans.  She  knew  he  had  married  Rose  Wallace 
and  expected  to  get  her  property.  She  had  her  trunks 
packed  expecting  to  go  to  Canada,  which  Rose  Wallace 
said  would  be  the  destination  ci  her  and  Gagne.  From 
this  the  police  drew  the  conclusion  that  Gagne  intended 
to  get  Rose  Wallace's  property,  then  desert  her  or  get 
rid  of  her  in  some  way,  and  go  to  Canada  with  Georgia 
White. 

When  Gagne  made  his  boast  to  Detective  Wooldridge 
about  his  wealth,  he  proposed  to  substantiate  his  claim 
by  showing  two  bank  deposit  books.  They  were  unique. 
The  first  was  a  plain  leather  account  book  with  the 
words  "First  National  Bank  of  Chicago  in  account  with" 
printed  on  the  cover,  and  the  name  of  "Rose  Wallace" 
written  underneath.  On  the  first  inside  page,  opposite 
the  cover,  appeared  three  purported  deposits,  as  follows : 

December  21  .$5,000 

December  23 2.500 

January  11    10,000 

Total  $17,500 

The  officials  of  the  First  National  Bank  said  they  did 
not  know  Rose  Wallace,  and  had  had  no  dealings  with 
her  whatever,  and  she  had  no  money  deposited  there. 

It  was  pointed  out  also  that  the  book  was  not  in  the 
usual  bank  form,  and  that  banks  usually  use  a  double 
page -for  debits  and  credits.  The  other  bank  book  was 
of  similar  external  appearance,  except  for  the  handwrit- 
ing.    U  had  "First  National  Bank  of  Carmi,  III,  in  ar^- 


MYSTERY  OF  ROSE  WALLACE       149 

count  with"  printed  on  the  cover,  and  "Rose  Wallace, 
Dec.  3,  1898,  Page  First,"  written  underneath.  On  "page 
first"  there  appeared  in  the  right  corner,  "Cr."  In  the 
opposite  corner  appeared  "Dec.  ist."  Near  the  top  of 
the  page  was  scrawled  in  the  same  handwriting  as  the 
name  outside,  "Rose  Wallace,"  and  underneath,  "$5,000." 
Gagne  had  other  evidences  of  his  wealth.  There  was 
the  following: 

No.  2782.  EvANSViLLE,  Ind.,  Jan.  2,  1899. 

First  National  Bank  pay  to  the  order  of  the  Bearer,  George 
Gagne,  three  thousand  dollars.  Rose  Wallace. 

$3,000. 

The  police  compared  the  signature  wjth  that  to  an 
order  written,  as  George  Gagne  declared,  requesting  the 
postoffice  authorities  to  give  him  her  mail,  and  found 
them  characteristically  similar.  They  compared  these 
signatures  with  the  name  on  the  cover  of  the  Carmi,  111., 
bank  book,  and  found  the  same  characteristics.  The 
general  formation  of  the  letters  was  alike,  the-bank  book 
name  being  more  carefully  written.  The  letter  "W"  in 
each  case  was  peculiarly  written  with  hooks  and  curls 
which  would  be  difficult  to  imitate.  Gagne  declared  he 
did  not  compare  the  writing  before,  and  he  could  not 
explain  it. 

Gagne  also  had  several  typewritten  letters,  all  of  which 
had  typewritten  signatures  attached.  In  one,  "F.  J.  R. 
Reitz,"  of  Evansville,  wrote,  advising  Rose  Wallace  not 
to  be  in  a  hurry  to  put  her  money  in  a  certain  Chicago 
bank,  as  it  "is  not  incorporated,"  and  she  might  lose  it. 

Another  letter,  signed  in  ink,  "Gilchrist,  attorney," 
and  dated  Evansville,  advised  Rose  Wallace  to  be  patient 
and  wait,  and  she  would  get  possession  of  her  money 
without  difficulty.    There  were  letters  from  other  towns. 


150         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

It  was  observed  that  all  were  written  on  the  same  size 
and  quality  of  paper,  none  on  letter  heads,  and  apparently 
with  the  same  typewriter  and  the  same  typewriter  rib- 
bon. 

These  facts  showed,  when  put  together,  there  was  a 
ideep  conspiracy  somewhere,  but  it  never  developed  or 
[reached  the  stage  where  any  one  could  be  held,  crim- 
inally. 


LOST  MORALS  AND  MONEY. 

STORY    WHICK    WILL    PROVE    A    WARNING   TO   YOUNG    MEN 
FROM   THE   COUNTRY. 

Young  men  from  rural  towns  who  go  to  great  cities 
with  a  consuming  desire  to  see  the  great  sights  that  lurk 
in  the  shadows  of  levee  resorts,  will  read  with  absorbing 
interest  the  woes  which  befell  G.  A.  Garland,  who  came 
from  a  small  Illinois  settlement  to  Chicago  and  tumbled 
into  one  of  those  pitfalls  which  ever  tempt  and  lead 
astray  the  unsophisticated. 

This  incident  not  only  adorns  a  tale,  but  points  a 
moral  and  shows  how  young  men  who  wander  away 
from  home  may  become  corrupted. 

Garland  was  proprietor  of  a  small  store  in  his  native 
village,  and  was  known  and  much  respected  as  a  con- 
stant church  member  and  one  of  the  star  pupils  of  the 
Sunday-school  Bible  class.  As  a  social  light  he  was  also 
prominent,  and,  being  single,  was  very  popular  with  the 
young  women. 

The  first  chapter  of  his  moral  degeneration  began 
when  he  packed  his  grip  and  started  for  Chicago.  In  his 
pockets  he  carried  $500,  as  his  mission  was  to  replenish 


LOST  MORALS  AND  MONEY  151 

his  stock  of  goods.  On  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  regis- 
tered at  the  Saratoga  Hotel.  The  next  day  he  was  quiet 
and  moral,  but  as  the  shades  of  evening  fell  and  the  influ- 
ence of  city  life  asserted  itself,  he  gulped  down  his  con- 
science, checked  his  character  at  the  office,  and  decided 
for  this  once  he  would  be  a  real  bad  man. 

Rapidly  he  ebbed  with  the  rollicking  tide  of  careless 
humanity  into  the  forbidden  precincts  of  the  levee.  Soon 
he  met  Lillie  Belmont,  a  "lady  of  color,"  whom  the  po- 
lice well  know.  The  two  visited  various  saloons  and 
drank  together,  finally  going  to  480  State  street,  a  noto- 
rious panel  house  kept  by  Lulu  White. 

Just  how  long  Garland  stayed  there  he  never  told,  but 
when  he  finally  tore  himself  away,  he  discovered  that  he 
had  been  robbed  of  $480. 

He  hastened  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station  and 
told  his  tale.  His  recital  was  accompanied  with  tears, 
and  to  Detective  Wooldridge,  who  was  assigned  to  the 
case,  he  said :  "Oh,  Mr.  Officer,  I'm  ruined !  I'm  dis- 
graced forever  and  dare  not  go  home !  Oh !  please  get 
my  money.  Do  give  me  my  money,  and  you  shall  wear 
diamonds.  You  can  have  everything,  only  get  me  my 
money." 

By  this  time  Garland  was  hysterical,  but  the  officer 
soothed  him,  and  finally  he  was  quieted.  Warrants  were 
taken  out  for  the  arrest  of  Lillie  Belmont  and  Lulu 
White,  on  a  charge  of  larceny,  and  others  for  Harry 
Smith,  William  Callway,  Mike  Burk,  Henry  Turner, 
and  Frankie  Hazel,  on  charges  of  being  accessories. 

The  latter  were  arrested,  but  the  two  principals  es- 
caped. After  the  case  had  been  called,  Garland  left 
court  and  started  for  the  lake  front.  At  Michigan  ave- 
nue and  Harrison  street  he  was  overhauled  by  Officer 


152         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Wooldridge,  who  asked  him  where  ne  was  going.  "To 
the  lake;  I  am  disgraced,  and  can  only  commit  suicide." 

He  ^was  sent  to  the  Armory.  Later  Wooldridge  lo- 
cated Lulu  White  and  Lillie  Belmont  and  started  to  ar- 
rest them.  Garland  interfered  and  withdrew  the  war- 
rants. Pressed  to  explain  his  action,  he  said  he  had 
received  $440  of  his  money  and  had  signed  an  agree- 
ment not  to  prosecute  the  case.  . 

Garland  called  at  the  police  station  to  ask  them  not  to 
let  the  story  get  out,  whereupon  he  was  confronted  with 
his  receipt  for  $480,  which  he  had  given  Lulu  White. 
After  offering  Wooldridge  a  five-cent  cigar,  he  went 
away,  and  the  charges  against  the  five  people  under  ar- 
rest were  withdrawn. 


TOO  MUCH  JONES. 

A  case  in  which  there  was  enough  if  not  too  much 
Jones  was  recalled  by  the  arrest  of  William  Jones,  May 
15,  .1896,  by  Detective  Wooldridge  for  shoplifting  in 
Siegel,  Cooper  &  Co.'s  store. 

Several  months  prior  to  the  theft,  William  Jones 
worked  for  May  Jones  and  was  arrested  by  Officer  Jones 
for  vagrancy  and  carrying  concealed  weapons.  He  was 
found  guilty  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction  for  six 
months.  He  was  defended  by  the  attorney,  "Indigna- 
tion" Jones,  who  after  his  client  had  served  two  months 
served  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  before  Judge  Goggin, 
who  ordered  him  released.  The  order  was  miscarried 
in  some  way  and, he  was  not  released,  and  Mayor  Swift, 
Comptroller  Wetherell  and  Superintendent  Mark  Craw- 
ford were  cited  for  contempt  of  court. 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  153 

In  the  shoplifting  case  Jones  was  sentenced  to  thirty 
days  in  jail. 


MARY   HASTINGS'   CAREER. 

STORY    OF    A    WOMAN     WHO     KEPT    THE    CHICAGO    LEVEE 
LIVELY  FOR  YEARS. 

There  is  not  in  the  life  of  any  woman  in  America  a 
greater  variety  than  in  the  checkered  career  of  Mary 
Hastings,  who  was  one  of  the  shining  lights  of  the  Chi- 
cago levee  for  many  years.  She  has  played  every  role 
in  the  great  drama  of  earthly  existence.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  find  anything  new  for  her  here;  there 
may  I  be  a  change  for  her  beyond  the  grave. 

She  was  born  of  wealthy  French  parents  some  thirty 
odd  years  ago,  and  in  the  gay  atmosphere  of  Paris  she 
imbibed  extravagant  ideas  of  high  living.  In  the  whirl 
of  society  from  girlhood  to  young  womanhood  she  grew 
to  love  the  fashionable  pleasures  and  vices  of  the  upper 
circles.  Princes  and  counts  showered  on  her  many 
words  of  praise,  and  as  Mademoiselle  Marie  Sefholic 
she  was  the  center  of  a  set  of  fast  young  men  and  led  a 
life  which  was  filled  with  one  round  of  pleasure  and  mild 
dissipation. 

But  the  confines  of  the  gay  French  capital  Were  too 
narrow  for  her.  She  wanted  to  see  the  world,  and  espe- 
cially Chicago.  She  left  Paris  for  new  fields  of  pleas- 
ure, but  the  seven  days'  ride  across  the  Atlantic  seemed 
to  offer  too  little  excitement,  and  she  went  in  the  other 
direction  and  landed  in  the  United  States  through  the 
Golden  Gate  at  San  Francisco. 

She  found  life  there  for  a  time  very  alluring.     She 


154         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

mingled  in  the  gay  throngs  of  all  classes,  and  finally 
listened  to  the  wooing  of  a  lover  and  became  his  wife. 
It  was  a  dream  at  first,  and  they  were  as  happy  as  her 
heart  could  desire.  But  as  a  matron  she  felt  the  monot- 
ony which  goes  with  the  round  of  the  household  duties, 
and  then  there  came  a  separation  and  a  divorce.  Mary's 
other  admirers  came  and  went,  and  for  some  time  her 
old  habits  made  life  once  more  a  pleasure.  Finally,  how- 
ever, she  grew  anxious  for  another  change.  Her  old 
love  came  back  to  her  and  she  returned  to  her  divorced 
husband.  To  make  the  change  more  effective  she  de- 
cided to  quit  San  Francisco,  and  with  the  divorced  hus- 
band she  suddenly  dropped  into  Chicago,  and  has  been 
here  nearly  ever  since,  except  during  the  time  she  spent 
on  several  occasions  in  other  places  while  eluding  the 
police,  and  the  past  year  or  two,  which  she  has  spent  in 
Toledo. 

She  reached  here  early  in  the  year  1888,  and  she  kept 
the  temperature  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  several  degrees  warmer  from  that  day  until  she 
left  the  city.  She  set  a  new  pace  for  the  dark  side  of 
Chicago,  and  her  many  ups  and  downs  would  make  a 
volume  in  itself. 

When  she  arrived  here  she  had  $15,000  in  gold.  Soon 
afterward  she  purchased  a  piece  of  property  at  2904 
Dearborn  street,  paying  $6,500  in  cash  for  the  land.  In 
1890  she  commenced  to  erect  a  house  on  the  ground, 
which,  when  completed,  increased  the  value  of  the  prop- 
erty to  $28,000.  While  she  was  building  this  house  of 
vice  she  lived  at  144  Custom  House  place  and  conducted 
a  house  of  prostitution.  Then  she  met  Edward  Mullen, 
who  was  a  contractor.  Mullen  was  smitten  with  her, 
and  soon  displaced  her  divorced  husband. 


ESCAPING  FRQM  DEN  pF^VICE 


156         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Not  long  after  Mullen  took  up  the  woman  he  began 
scheming  to  get  possession  of  her  property,  but  notwith- 
standing the  numberless  artifices  he  employed,  she  ob- 
durately refused  at  first  to  transfer  it  to  him.  Then  the 
schemer  induced  her  to  go  away  for  a  brief  trip.  On  her 
return,  May  20,  1891,  she  was  arrested  by  Officers  Hild- 
man  and  Buckley  on  a  charge  of  harboring  young  girls 
in  a  house  of  prostitution,  and  was  held  by  Justice  J.  K, 
Prindiville  in  bonds  of  $1,500.  Her  bonds  were  signed 
by  Mike  Lawler  and  J.  W.  Thomas,  the  colored  lawyer 
and  professional  bailer,  and  she  was  released.  Then 
Mullen,  the  schemer,  advised  her  to  skip  over  to  Canada 
until  the  matter  blew  over.  Before  she  went,  however, 
Mullen  again  counseled  her  to  turn  the  real  estate  ovtr 
to  him,  as  she  could  not  use  it  for  her  own  benefit  while 
it  remained  in  her  name.  The  fellow  had  gained  wonder- 
ful influence  over  the  woman,  and  she  was  prevailed 
upon  to  do  as  he  advised.  With  this  end  in  view  she 
called  on  Attorney  John  C.  King  and  asked  him  to  draw 
up  a  deed  of  transfer. 

The  lawyer  saw  through  the  scheme  and  refused  to 
draw  up  the  deed.  The  woman  had  been  a  client  of  his 
in  the  past  and  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  warn  her  of  the  evi- 
dent plot. 

Instead  of  heeding  King's  advice,  however,  she  sought 
George  W.  Crawford,  ex-assistant  city  prosecutor,  and 
made  a  similar  request  of  him,  but  again  met  with  re- 
fusal. Finally  she  found  a  lawyer  who  performed  the 
service  for  her. 

Mullen,  who  then  had  absolute  control  of  his  victim's 
property,  renewed  the  suggestion  that  she  leave  town  for 
a  while  until  the  indictment  which  had  been  returned 
against  her  had  been  forgotten.     This  she  did,  and  the 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  157 

wily  fellow '  then  transferred  her  property  to  one  John 
McGrevy,  from  whom  the  title  was  shifted  to  Marquis 
R.  Berry,  Both  these  names  were  said  to  be  aliases  of 
Mullen,  as  no  person  could  be  found  who  would  claim 
them. 

When  she  returned  to  Chicago  a  year  later  she  had 
spent  all  her  money  and  demanded  that  Mullen  deed  her 
property  back  to  her.  He  refused  to  do  so,  and  there 
was  a  bitter  controversy  between  them.  Suddenly  the 
old  indictment  which  had  been  returned  against  her  for 
harboring  young  girls  under  age  was  unearthed  by  some 
mysterious  influence,  and  Mary  Hastings  was  again  ar- 
rested and  thrown  into  jail.  She  secured  the  services  of 
Attorney  Alexander  Collins,  and  he  managed  to  have 
the  old  indictment  quashed  and  the  woman  released  from 
jail. 

Under  her  advice  he  then  began  a  fight  in  court  for 
the  recovery  of  her  property.  Mullen  became  apprised 
of  this  move,  and  quietly  and  suddenly  Marquis  B.  Berry 
transferred  the  title  of  the  Dearborn  street  house  to 
Milton  R.  Thackery,  a  lawyer  who  had  been  Mullen's 
counsel  in  former  lawsuits.  Next  the  schemer  prevailed 
on  Mary  to  go  with  him  to  Milwaukee,  where  they  went 
through  a  ceremony  of  marriage. 

There  was  no  question  as  to  the  woman's  right  to 
marry,  as  she  was  divorced  from  her  former  husband  in 
San  Francisco.  Mullen,  however,  enjoyed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  woman  who  lived  on  Green  street  and  who 
bore  his  name.  She  was  sometimes  known  as  Julia  King, 
but  claimed  that  Mullen  was  her  name. 

When  the  couple  returned  from  Milwaukee  the  woman 
established  a  vile  resort  at  144  Fourth  avenue.  She  no- 
tified  Collins  that   all  difterences  between   herself  and 


158         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Mullen  had  been  healed,  and  she  wanted  no  further  ef- 
fort made  to  wrest  the  property  from  him. 

Meantime  Mullen  bobbed  up  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  as  a  bailer.  Lieutenant  Arch  objected  to  his 
presence,  and  told  him  very  plainly  that  unless  he  kept 
away  he  would  be  prosecuted  for  scheduling  property 
that  was  not  in  his  name.  This  only  angered  the  schemer 
and  he  determined  to  secure  Arch's  dismissal  from  the 
force.  Together  with  a  reporter  who  frequented  the 
Fourth  avenue  den  he  hatched  a  scheme  to  have  Arch 
call  on  Mrs.  Hastings  and  then  surprise  him  in  a  com- 
promising position.  The  woman,  however,  refused  to 
be  a  party  to  the  game,  and  it  fell  through. 

A  few  weeks  later  Mullen  left  her,  and  she  asked  the 
lieutenant's  advice  as  to  what  course  she  sould  pursue. 
He  told  her  to  continue  the  fight  already  commenced  in 
the  court  and  make  the  fellow  disgorge  her  property. 

Before  Attorney  Collins  could  reinstate  the  case  the 
Chicago  Carpet  Co.  appeared  with  an  attachment  which 
took  precedence  over  any  transfer  of  the  property.  The 
debt  was  $1,900  and  was  for  the  furnishings  of  the 
Dearborn  street  house.  The  title  was  traced  to  Thack- 
ery,  and  then  the  carpet  company's  lawyer  joined  with 
Collins  in  an  endeavor  to  straighten  out  the  title  to  the 
property.  The  case  was  referred  to  a  master  in  chan- 
cery, but  the  woman  was  never  able  to  recover  her  prop- 
erty. 

Mary  Hastings  next  took  up  with  "Tom"  Gaynor, 
whom  she  met  in  the  fall  of  1894.  At  that  time  she  had 
several  houses  on  Custom  House  place  that  she  fur- 
nished and  rented  for  enormous  sums.  She  also  had 
two  houses  :vnd  a  saloon  at  136  Custom  House  place 
which  she  conducted  herself.     The  police  were  making 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  159 

it  very  warm  for  her  on  account  of  the  many  larcenies* 
committed  in  her  houses. 

She  appealed  to  the  Captain  of  Police  to  stop  raiding 
her,  and  was  told  that  the  complaints  must  cease  and 
the  girls  must  be  kept  away  from  the  windows.  They 
arrested  her  daily  arid  imposed  heavy  fines.  When  she 
met  Gay  nor  he  told  her  that  if  she  was  his  friend  she 
would  have  no  trouble  and  there  would  be  no  raids. 

Mary  did  not  understand  how  this  was,  and  Gaynor 
explained  to  her  that  he  had  a  "pull,"  and  if  she  would 
accept  him  as  a  partner  everything  would  roll  along 
smoothly.  She  was  then  receiving  an  income  of  $365 
per  month  and  took  him  in  for  a  partner. 

She  claimed  that  from  that  time  on  he  treated  her 
brutally  and  shamefully.  He  was  to  pay  $350,  but  in- 
stead of  that  she  claimed  he  took  from  her  $1,600.  Then 
she  paid  his  bills,  which  amounted  to  nearly  $7,000.  She 
asked  him  for  some  returns  of  the  saloon,  which  was 
taking  in  some  $2,000  a  month,  but  she  could  get  noth- 
ing from  him.  She  allowed  matters  to  run  along  this 
way  about  a  year,  when  she  demanded  that  he  settle  up 
and  give  her  what  she  was  entitled  to  from  the  im- 
mense profits  of  the  business. 

The  answer  she  received  was  a  shot  in  the  leg  from  a 
revolver  and  a  brutal  beating,  which  laid  her  up  for 
some  time. 

When  she  finally  recovered  she  branched  out  as  a 
procuress  on  a  large  scale,  and  brought  to  Chicago  within 
three  weeks  nine  young  girls  from  Ohio  and  took  them  to 
one  of  her  dens  on  Custom  House  place,  where  they  were 
kept  under  lock  and  key  and  deprived  of  their  clothing. 
She  kept  the  doors  locked  and  barred  and  would  not 
allow  any  of  them  to  leave  the  place.     She  intercepted 


T60         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  held  all  the  mail  addressed  to  them  and  refused  tc 
permit  them  to  communicate  with  any  one. 

Finally,  on  the  night  of  September  26,  two  of  the 
girls  escaped  by  climbing  down  a  rope  from  a  window. 
They  made  their  way  to  the  police  station  and  told  the 
story  of  their  bondage  and  eventual  escape  by  strategy. 

Two  other  girls  also  escaped,  but  one  of  them,  Ida' 
Martin,  who  was  only  fourteen  years  old,  has  never 
been  seen  since,  and  it  has  always  been  the  belief  of 
the  police  that  she  was  killed  or  that  she  drowned  her- 
self in  the  lake  to  escape  the  life  to  which  she  thought 
she  was  doomed. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  sent  to  the  house  from 
which  the  prisoners  escaped,  where  he  found  five  help- 
less, half-clad  girls,  locked  in  rooms,  quaking  with  fea? 
and  begging  for  release.  Mary  Hastings  was  instantly 
arrested,  and  the  girls  sent  to  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion Annex,  where  the  two  other  girls  who  reported  the 
matter  were  being  held. 

The  story  which  the  police  gleaned  from  questioning 
the  girls  was  that  Mary  Hastings  on  September  5  ap- 
peared in  Cleveland  in  company  with  a  man.  She  vis- 
ited the  Auditorium  Theater,  and  met  Lizzie  Lehrman 
and  Kittie  Clair.  She  bought  drinks  for  them,  and  then, 
under  the  pretense  of  taking  them  for  a  ride,  got  them 
to  enter  a  hack.  On  the  way  Gertie  Harris,  who  was 
intoxicated,  was  brought  to  the  carriage  by  a  man  and 
accepted  an  invitation  for  a  ride. 

At  the  depot  Florence  Lapella  was  met,  and  together 
they  all  got  on  the  train  and  started  for  Chicago.  When 
the  girls  sobered  up  they  wished  to  return  to  Cleveland, 
but  had  no  money.  On  their  arrival  in  Chicago  they 
were  taken  to    128  Custom   House   place,  where  their 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  161 

clothes  were  taken  from  them.  Then  they  were  kept 
under  lock  and  key,  and  the  visits  of  men  were  forced 
on  some  of  them,  no  matter  how  strongly  they  pro- 
tested. 

The  girls  from  Toledo  said  Mary  Hastings  appeared 
in  that  city  on  September  i8.  On  her  arrival  there  she 
paid  a  visit  to  the  Brunswick  Hotel,  where  she  found 
May  Casey  and  Ida  Martin,  the  latter  fourteen  years  of 
age.  On  being  told  they  were  looking  for  work,  the 
Hastings  woman  offered  them  a  position  in  her  house 
as  servants. 

May  was  an  orphan  and  consented  immediately,  but 
Ida  wished  to  consult  her  parents  first.  The  Hastings 
woman  apparently  consented  to  this,  but  instead  took 
the  girls  to  the  United  States  Hotel  and  got  them 
drunk.     She  then  locked  them  in  the  room  over  night. 

The  next  morning  she  appeared  at  the  hotel  again  and 
got  them  drunk.  Then  she  took  them  in  a  cab  to  the 
depot.  When  passing  the  corner  of  Summit  and  Cherry 
streets,  Kittie  McCarthy  was  seen,  and  she  was  per- 
suaded to  get  in  the  hack.  At  Lafayette  street,  Kittie 
Winzel  was  called  to  the  hack,  and  as  she  knew  the  Mc- 
Carthy girl,  she  too  got  in  "to  take  a  ride."  Kittie 
Winzel  was  only  seventeen  years  old  and  resided  with 
her  grandparents  on  Canal  street,  Toledo.  At  the  depot 
Blanche  Gordon  was  met,  and  by  alluring  promises  con- 
sented to  go,  and  together  the  party  got  on  the  train  for 
Chicago.  Arriving  here  the  girls  were  taken  to  the  den 
on  Custom  House  place  and  their  clothes  taken  aw^y 
from  them. 

None  of  the  girls  were  allowed  to  go  out,  but  Lizzie 
Lehrman,  May  Casey,  Ida  Martin  and  Gertie  Harris 
escaped,  clad  only  in  wrappers. 


162         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

In  addition  to  the  felony  warrants,  search  warrants 
were  obtained,  and  Officer  Wooldridge  got  some  of  their 
clothes. 

Over  $2,000  worth  of  clothing  was  found  in  the  Hast- 
ings woman's  house  at  128  Custom  House  place,  taken 
from  girls  at  various  times  who  had  been  inmates  there. 

When  the  procuress  was  arraigned  the  following 
morning  she  asked  for  a  continuance  of  ten  days,  which 
was  granted.  She  was  required  to  give  a  bond  of  $2,100 
for  her  appearance,  which  was  signed  by  "Tom"  Gaynor. 

A  deep  scheme  was  then  evolved  to  get  Detective 
Wooldridge  discredited  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  and  his 
superior  officers  by  tising  the  press.  Mary  Hastings  sent 
for  two  newspaper  reporters  and  told  them  that  she  could 
prove  that  Wooldridge  was  not  sincere  in  his  efforts  to 
rescue  fallen  women,  and  told  them  he  was  simply  per- 
secuting her.  She  declared  that  he  was  in  her  house 
that  morning  and  visited  one  of  her  inmates  for  an  illicit 
purpose.  In  order  to  prove  this  assertion  she  called  in 
several  of  the  inmates,  who  repeated  what  she  had  said 
and  declared  they  were  willing  to  swear  it  was  true.  She 
also  asserted  that  this  was  not  the  first  time  that  he  was 
there  for  this  purpose. 

Upon  getting  this  information  and  having  it  verified 
by  the  inmates  of  the  house,  the  reporters  were  inclined 
at  first  to  believe  it  was  true,  and  began  to  think  they 
had  gotten  possession  of  a  very  sensational  story.  They 
started  ouf  at  once  to  find  Wooldridge  in  order  to  ascer- 
ta!n  what  he  had  to  say  concerning  the  charges  made  by 
the  Hastings  woman.  No  baser  insinuation  was  ever 
made  against  any  one,  because  at  the  time  she  claimed 
that  he  was  in  the  house  Wooldridge  was  before  the 
grand  jury  and  had  been  there  from  eleven  o'clock  in 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  163 

the  morning  until  2 130  in  the  afternoon,  and  before  that 
time  was  in  attendance  at  the  poHce  court  from  eight  to 
nine  o'clock.  It  was  not  difficult  for  the  reporters  to 
substantiate  what  Wooldridge  said ;  therefore  the  scheme 
to  injure  him  failed,  although  it  was  said  at  the  time  it 
cost  Mary  Hastings  considerable  money  to  promote  it. 

Another  attempt  was  made  to  secure  the  woman's 
freedom  before  the  day  of  hearing,  at  which  she  must 
appear  or  forfeit  her  bond  of  $2,100.  This  was  an  ef- 
fort made  through  agents  who  were  sent  to  Toledo  to 
endeavor  to  have  some  of  the  girls'  friends  come  to  Chi- 
cago and  secure  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  in  order  to  get 
them  away  from  the  protection  of  the  police  and  thus 
deprive  the  prosecution  of  the  benefit  of  their  evidence. 
This  also  failed. 

Another  scheme  to  stop  the  prosecution  of  this  woman 
was  concocted  by  her  attorney,  George  W.  Crawford, 
who  was  at  one  time  assistant  city  prosecutor.  His  plan 
was  to  send  Wooldridge  to  New  Mexico  on  a  "wild 
goose"  chase  after  some  alleged  defaulting  banker,  and 
even  went  so  far  as  to  get  an  order  from  the  Chief  of 
Police  and  money  for  transportation  and  other  expenses 
incident  to  this  trip.  Wooldridge  was  to  have  started 
from  Chicago  on  the  night  before  the  case  of  Mary  Hast- 
ings was  to  be  called  before  Justice  Richardson. 

Wooldridge  heard  of  this  plan  to  get  him  out  of  the 
way  and  went  to  the  officials  of  the  Civic  Federation,  the 
Woman's  Protective  Association  and  the  Woman's  Aid 
Society  and  told  them  of  the  plan  and  what  the  objects 
of  it  were.  Officers  from  each  of  these  organizations 
then  went  to  George  B.  Swift,  who  was  then  mayor  of 
Chicago,  and  told  him  of  the  facts.  He  at  once  wrote 
an  order  to  the  Chief  of  Police  telling  him  to  keep  De- 


164         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tective  Wooldridge  at  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Sta- 
tion and  not  to  allow  him  to  leave  the  city  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. 

Wooldridge  also  saw  the  city  prosecuting  attorney  and 
secured  his  promise  to  be  present  in  person  when  the 
case  was  called. 

In  the  meantime  Wooldridge  had  taken  the  girls 
before  the  grand  jury  and  secured  two  indictments 
against  Mary  Hastings,  the  bond  in  each  case  being 
$5,000.  These  bonds  were  also  secured  by  "Tom" 
Gaynor,  who  then  told  her  that  she  had  better  leave 
the  city  and  go  to  Canada,  saying  he  would  look 
after  everything  until  the  matter  cooled  down,  and 
she  took  his  advice  and  left. 

Finally,  on  October  14  the  case  was  called,  and 
there  occurred  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  dramatic 
and  exciting  scenes  ever  enacted  in  a  court  of  jus- 
tice. 

Counsel  for  the  woman  asked  for  another  contin- 
uance of  ten  days,  saying  that  the  city  prosecutor 
had  agreed  with  him  on  such  action,  and  that  his 
client  was  on  the  north  side  giving  new  bonds.  The 
city  prosecutor  who  was  present  said  he  saw  no  ob- 
jection to  the  continuance,  and  the  justice,  with  pen 
in  hand,  was  just  about  to  enter  the  order,  when 
Wooldridge  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  tones  that 
could  be  heard  in  the  adjoining  room  and  even  out 
on  the  street,  cried : 

"One  moment,  your  honor.  I  want  to  say  a  word 
before  that  order  is  entered.  As  an  officer  of  the 
court  and  in  the  name  of  law  and  order  and  in  the 
name  of  the  City  of  Chicago  and  of  the  State  of 
Illinois,  I  demand  the  right  to  be  heard." 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  165 

George  W.  Crawford,  counsel  for  the  woman,  in- 
terrupted and  sneeringly  said: 

"I  object  to  anything  the  little,  insignificant  de- 
tective has  to  say  here.  The  city  and  state  are  rep- 
resented by  the  prosecuting  attorney,  and  if  there  is 
objection  to  these  proceedings  let  it  come  from 
him." 

"I  appeal  to  you  again,  your  honor,  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  be  heard,*"  Wooldridge  exclaimed. 

The  justice  overruled  the  objection  of  the  defense 
to  the  statement  Wooldridge  had  to  make,  and  he 
was  told  to  go  on.  Then  the  detective  demonstra- 
ted that  he  knew  something  about  legal  proceedings 
himself.     Addressing  the  court,  he  said : 

"Your  honor,  I  insist  with  all  the  strength  of  my 
manhood  and  with  an  honest  purpose  and  pure  mo- 
tives, that  this  case  be  not  continued.  For  twentv- 
one  days  these  seven  girls  who  have  been  the  victirns 
of  this  defendant  have  been  held  at  the  Annex,  living 
on  black  coffee  and  stale  bread,  with  scarcely 
enough  clothing  to  cover  their  nudity.  They  have 
waited  to  testify  against  the  defendant,  whose  attor- 
nev  and  friends  are  conspiring  for  another  continu- 
ance that  some  new  scheme  may  be  hatched  to  get 
these  witnesses  out  of  the  way.  When  the  gentle- 
man who  represents  the  defendant  in  this  case  tells 
this  court  that  his  client  is  m  the  city  and  is  on  the 
north  side  preparing  bonds  for  her  appearance,  he 
utters  what  he  knows  to  be  an  untruth.  He  has  lied 
to  this  court  and  has  tried  to  deceive  your  honor. 
This  client  is  not  to-day  within  the  borders  of  the 
United  States. 

"Every  means  possible  has  been  adopted  to  juggle 


166         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

with  justice  and  defeat  the  law  in  order  that  a  wo- 
man who  has  brought  from  another  city  and  another 
state  nine  girls  to  be  used  in  her  infamous  traffic  of 
the  sale  of  virtue  may  escape  punishment.  Only 
yesterday  the  counsel  for  the  woman  attempted  to 
secure  by  misrepresentation  and  deception  an  order 
from  the  Chief  of  Police  to  send  me  away  on  a  use- 
less trail  to  Mexico  in  order  that  this  case  might  be 
continued  and  the  witnesses  gotten  out  of  the  way. 
Fortunately,  I  discovered  the  plot  in  time  to  thwart 
him.  The  prosecution  in  this  case  is  not  represented 
by  the  city  alone.  There  are  attorneys  here  from  the 
Civic  Federation,  the  Woman's  Protective  Associa- 
tion and  the  Woman's  Aid  Society.  They  want  to  be 
heard  before  this  case  is  continued. 

"Now,  your  honor,  a  word  with  you,  man  to  man. 
At  your  own  solicitation  I  visited  you  yesterday, 
and  after  detailing  the  facts  in  this  case  and  relating 
to  you  all  the  circumstances  connected  with  it,  you 
told  me  that  there  could  be  no  other  continuance,  but 
that  the  case  must  go  to  trial  to-day  or  the  bonds  be 
declared  forfeited.  I  appeal  to  your  honor's  veracity 
and  ask  that  these  bonds  be  declared  forfeited  at 
once  and  an  order  entered  for  their  payment." 

The  effect  of  Wooldridge's  talk  was  instantane- 
ous, the  court  at  once  denying  the  continuance  and 
entering  an  order  against  the  defendant's  bondsman, 
and  in  a  short  time  that  order  was  enforced  and  the 
security  of  $2,100  collected  and  paid  into  court. 

This  ended  for  a  time  the  trouble  with  the  Hastings 
woman,  and  Wooldridge  took  up  a  collection  among  the 
officers  at  the  police  station  and  secured  enough  money 
to  send  five  of  the  deluded  girls  back  to  Toledo,  Ohio. 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  167 

Mary  Hastings  was  still  a  fugitive  from  justice  under 
bonds  of  $10,000.  She  remained  away  from  Chicago  for 
several  months,  having  turned  all  her  property  over  to 
Gaynor  before  she  left. 

However,  on  December  3  she  returned  to  Chicago 
to  attend  to  some  business,  and  remained  in  hiding 
for  several  days,  but  soon  began  to  indulge  in  her 
old  appetite  for  strong  drink  and  Custom  House 
place  associates,  and  ventured  downtown.  On  De- 
cember 10  Wooldridge  heard  that  she  was  on  the 
levee,  and  having  two  capiases  for  her  which  had 
been  given  him  by  the  sheriflf,  he  went  out  to  find 
her.  He  was  accompanied  by  Detective  Schubert, 
He  soon  found  her  at  Gaynor's  saloon,  136  Custom 
House  place.  She  was  standing  at  the  bar  drinking 
when  the  detectives  entered.  She  made  no  effort  to 
escape,  and  Wooldridge  served  the  papers,  telling  her 
she  was  under  arrest. 

Word  was  sent  to  Gaynor  by  the  barkeeper  or 
someone  in  the  place  that  the  detectives  were  there 
and  had  the  woman  under  arrest,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes he  came  dashing  in  like  an  enraged  and  roaring 
wild  beast  and  demanded  to  know  at  once  what 
was  going  on.  He  used  the  vilest  and  most  abusive 
language  that  ever  fell  from  the  lips  of  a  man,  and 
swore  that  no  on^  should  be  arrested  in  his  place, 
ordering  the  detectives  to  get  out  at  once. 

Wooldridge  knew  him  well,  but  quietly  asked  who 
he  was.  This  enraged  him  more  and  he  became  vio- 
lent. He  pushed  the  woman  back  toward  the  end 
of  the  bar,  placing  himself  between  her  and  Wool- 
dridge, and  swore  they  should  not  touch  her.  The 
detective  told  him   the   woman  was   in  his   custody 


168 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


and  that  he  intended  to  take  her  out,  and  that  if  he 
(Gaynor)  wanted  to  avoid  trouble  he  would  be  wise 
to  not  make  any   interference. 

Then  Gaynor  demanded  that  Wooldridge  show 
him  the  capiases,  and  that  unless  he  saw  them  they 
could  not  take  the  prisoner  out.  Wooldridge  again 
informed  him  the  woman  was  his  prisoner,  that  the 
papers  had  been  served  on  her  and  that  he  had  no 
right  to  see  them,  and  furthermore  he  would  not  see 


Orrt-VVogtMIIME.  TKOS.&VYNOR.  Uhc.&oiubwt. 

'  DROP  THAT  GUN  OR  YOU  ARE  A  DEAD  MAN." 

them.  Then  he  told  Gaynor  that  if  he  interfered  with 
him  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  would  arrest 
him  and  take  him  to  the  station. 

Gaynor  then  ran  around  behind  the  bar,  followed 
by  Schubert.  He  reached  to  the  cash  register  with 
his  left  hand  and  put  his  right  hand  in  the  drawer 
for  a  Smith  &  Wesson  revolver,  Wooldridge 
watched  his  every  movement,  and  when  he  reached 
the  re-.slver,  the  o^cer  placed  his  feet  on  the  railing 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  169 

in  front  of  the  counter,  and  leaning  over,  placed  his 
own  revolver  behind  Gaynor's  ear  and  said: 

"Drop  that  gun  or  you  are  a  dead  man." 

Gaynor  could  see  Wooldridge  and  his  revolver  in 
the  mirror  behind  the  bar,  and  knowing  the  deter- 
mination of  the  officer,  released  the  gun,  Schubert 
at  the  same  time  seizing  him.  Then  they  told  him 
that  he  was  under  arrest,  and  further  resista'nce 
would  mean  serious  trouble  for  him. 

As  may  be  imagined,  this  did  not  smoothe  his  tem- 
per, and  he  raged  like  a  madman,  making  all  kinds 
of  threats  against  Wooldridge.  The  patrol  wagon 
was  called,  however,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  Harri- 
son Street  Station,  where  he  was  charged  with  try- 
ing to  aid  a  criminal  to  escape  and  interfering  with 
an  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties. 

Gaynor  is  a  desperate  character  and  has  had  many 
narrow  escapes,  but  he  never  came  so  near  being 
killed  as  he  did  that  night  when  Wooldridge  had  his 
revolver  against  his  head.  The  detective  afterward 
said  that  he  never  came  so  near  killing  a  man  be- 
fore. It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he  restrained 
himself,  and  "Tom"  Gaynor  to-day  owes  his  life  to 
Wooldridge's  self-control  on  that  occasion. 

Then  came  one  of  the  hardest  fights  that  ever 
took  place  in  Chicago  to  defeat  justice  by  the  use  of 
influence  and  lavish  expenditure  of  money  to  stop 
the  prosecution.  But  Wooldridge  fought  with  tenac- 
ity to  the  finish.  He  was  even  offered  $4,000  in  cash 
to  "let  up"  on  the  case,  but  he  refused  it. 

Every  means  that  could  be  devised  by  the  woman 
and  her  friends  to  escape  the  clutches  of  the  law  was 
resorted    to.      Her   bondsman    used    all   his   political 


170         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

"pull"  to  get  Wooldridge  sidetracked.  He  even  went 
to  one  of  the  men  who  signed  Wooldridge's  first 
application  for  a  position  on  the  police  force  and 
asked  him  to  do  something  to  help  him  out.  This 
man  called  on  Detective  Wooldridge  and  requested 
him  to  drop  the  matter.  The  response  Wooldridge 
made  was  characteristic  of  him. 

"If  you  wanted  an  investigation  of  a  case  made  by 
an  officer,"  said  Wooldridge,  "what  kind  of  man 
would  you  ask  to  do  the  work  for  you?  Would  you 
ask  one  that  could  be  bought  or  bribed  or  induced 
by  any  kind  of  influence  to  neglect  his  duty?" 

"No,  I  would  not,"  was  the  reply. 

"Then  go  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Police  Depart- 
ment and  ask  him  to  let  you  see  the  application 
which  I  filed  there  for  a  position  on  the  police  force, 
and  read  the  indorsements  which  are  attached  to  the 
application.  Read  the  one  which  you  signed  and  in 
which  you  said  I  was  an  honest,  conscientious  and 
incorruptible  man.  If  I  drop  this  case  it  will  show 
that  you  did  not  tell  the  truth  when  you  recommend- 
ed me  for  appointment." 

No  more  efforts  were  made  in  that  direction,  but 
everything  else  that  could  be  done  was  tried  without 
avail.  A  strong  effort  was  made  to  have  Detective 
Wooldridge  discharged  from  the  Police  Department, 
but  it  did  not  succeed.  The  case  against  Gaynor 
was  postponed  several  times  and  dragged  along 
three  or  four  weeks.  Finally  it  came  up  for  trial,  and 
Gaynor  had  on  hand  six  or  eight  persons  who  testi- 
fied under  oath  that  there  was  no  trouble  in  the 
saloon  when  Mary  and  Gaynor  were  arrested,  and 
that  the  latter  did  not  in  any  way  interfere  with  the 


MARY  HASTINGS'  CAREER  171 

officers.  The  persons  who  thus  perjured  themselves 
were  not  present  at  all  when  the  arrests  were  made, 
but  their  evidence  saved  Gaynor  a  heavy  fine  and 
perhaps  a  term  in  the  penitentiary. 

The  case  against  Mary  Hastings  was  called  during 
the  January  term  of  the  criminal  court  in  1896.  She 
was  not  present  and  forfeiture  was  entered  against 
ner  bondsman,  with  leave  to  produce  the  woman 
and  reinstate  the  case.  Within  two  hours  the  wo- 
man was  produced  and  the  case  reinstated. 

This  was  kept  up  several  times,  and  finally,  on 
May  13,  1897,  it  was  placed  on  call  in  Judge  Ball's 
court.  Mary  failed  to  show  up  again,  and  the  bonds 
were  again  ordered  forfeited.  A  few  days  later, 
however,  the  woman  was  found  and  arrested  and 
turned  over  to  the  jailer.  In  this  way  the  case  was 
at  last  worn  out.  The  witnesses  had  become  scat- 
tered, and  one,  the  most  important  of  all,  fourteen- 
year-old  Ida  Martin,  was  never  found,  and  thus 
Mary  Hastings  escaped  prosecution  at  last  and  was 
released,  but  with  the  amount  paid  in  forfeited  bonds 
and  in  other  ways  to  defeat  justice,  the  cost  to  her 
and  Gaynor  was  the  enormous  sum  of  $20,000. 

She  and  Gavnor  continued  to  conduct  their  dives 
on  the  levee,  but  he  began  a  system  of  cruelty 
towards  her  which  for  excess  of  inhumanity  and  in- 
justice has  rarely  been  equaled.  He  beat  and  abused 
her  continually.  He  had  possession  of  all  her  prop- 
erty, yet  once  when  she  was  in  jail  for  some  oflfense, 
she  declared  that  out  of  an  income  of  nearly  $700  a 
month  from  her  houses  on  the  levee,  she  did  not  have 
a  cent  with  which  to  buy  a  meal. 

Time    and    again    she   went   to   the    police   station 


172         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

with  her  face  bruised  and  bleeding,  and  begged  the 
officers  to  protect  her  from  this  brute.  Once  he 
knocked  her  down  and  pulled  from  her  head  great 
bunches  of  hair  and  kicked  and  beat  her  into  insen- 
sibility. At  another  time  he  knocked  three  of  her 
teeth  out.  When  she  would  threaten  him  with  ar- 
rest he  would  pretend  to  be  sorry  for  his  actions 
and  promise  to  treat  her  better,  but  in  a  few  days  he 
would  beat  her  again. 

All  this  time  he  was  living  with  her,  yet  he  had  a 
wife  and  children  who  lived  on  what  he  chose  to 
give  them  in  a  house  at  Fifty-third  street  and  Wa- 
bash av^enue. 

He  abused  her  so  much  that  she  finally  determined 
to  leave  him  forever.  She  induced  him  to  give  her 
a  few  hundred  dollars,  then  leaving  him  in  possesion 
of  all  her  property,  she  went  away,  finally  stopping 
in  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  she  is  now  conducting  a 
house  similar  to  the  one  she  conducted  in  Chicago. 


PUMPED  LEAD  AT  HIM. 

DETECTIVE    UNDER    FIRE    FROM     BURGLARS    AND    MAKES    A 

NARROW    ESCAPE. 

t 

It  was  a  bitter  cold,  stormy  morning  on  Decem- 
ber 13,  1890,  and  the  thermometer  had  reached  the 
zero  point.  The  branches  and  boughs  of  the  trees 
hung  heavily  with  icicles,  and  the  December  wind 
caused  them  to  sway  to  and  fro  as  it  whistled 
through  them.  All  the  ground  and  the  buildings 
were  covered  with  snow. 
-    The   streets  had  been   deserted  by  both    man  and 


PUMPED  LEAD  AT  HIM  173 

beast,  they  having  sought  shelter  and  rest  many  hours 
before. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  in  question  Officer 
Wooldridge,  ever  on  duty,  strolled  along  north  on 
Michigan  avenue  from  Thirty-third  to  Thirty-first 
street.  On  each  side  of  the  street  towering  aloft 
were  hundreds  of  the  grandest  mansions  and  most 
expensive  ones  to  be  found  in  Chicago  or  ^Isewhere, 
many  of  them  costing  from  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars  up  into  the  millions. 

When  the  officer  reached  the  front  of  Charles 
Pardridge's  residence  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Michigan  avenue  and  Thirty-second  street,  he  dis- 
covered tracks  in  the  snow,  and  the  tracks  led  di- 
rectly into  the  yard  of  this  residence,  and  a  noise  was 
heard  which  sounded  for  all  the  world  as  if  someone 
was  using  a  saw. 

Stepping  quietly  into  the  yard,  the  officer  went 
around  to  the  rear  of  the  house,  and  found  three 
burglars  at  work  cutting  through  the  door.  The  bur- 
glars, upon  finding  that  they  were  discovered,  im- 
mediately dropped  their  tools  and  fled  precipitately 
to  the  street,  with  Officer  Wooldridge  in  hot  pur- 
suit. Wooldridge  commanded  them  to  halt,  and  the 
only  answer  was  a  shot  from  one  of  the  fleeing  bur- 
glars. The  officer  thereupon  returned  the  fire,  and 
then  the  burglars  ran  across  the  street  into  the  yard 
of  Mr.  Libby,  the  manufacturer  of  the  celebrated 
beef  tea  of  world-wide  reputation,  and  here  four 
more  shots  were  exchanged  between  the  burglars 
and  the  officer,  who  was  rapidly  closing  in  upon 
them  in  the  corner  of  the  yard. 

To  the  back  of  them  was  a  board  fence  at  least 


CHAIN  SAVES  HIS  LIFE  175 

seven  feet  in  height,  which  they  scaled,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  officer,  and  as  the  latter  mounted  the 
fence,  he  received  a  bullet  through  his  cap,  which 
grazed  his  skull,  cutting  a  furrow  through  his  hair 
and  knocking  his  cap  off  his  head.  This  shot  came 
from  the  burglar  directly  underneath  Wooldridge  as 
he  was  mounting  the  fence. 

"Baby"  Bliss,  the  520-pound  bicycle  rider,  and 
agent  for  the  American  Wheel  Company,  witnessed 
the  shooting  from  an  adjoining  house. 

This  narrow  escape  would  have  been  deemed  suf- 
ficient excuse  for  most  officers  to  quit,  but  it  only 
nerved  Wooldridge  to  further  action.  Over  the 
fence  like  a  streak  went  the  officer,  and  he  returned 
the  fire  with  his  compliments.  The  result  of  that 
shot  was  that  one  of  the  burglars  fell,  and  from  the 
pool  of  blood  found  on  the  ground,  it  is  supposed  he 
was  badly  wounded. 

Wooldridge  was  next  hit  by  another  bullet  which 
flattened  itself  on  the  buckle  of  his  belt  and  fell  to 
the  ground.  This  last  shot  knocked  the  breath  out 
of  his  body  for  a  few  seconds,  and  the  burglars  made 
a  safe  escape. 

On  the  rear  doorsteps  of  the  Pardridge  house  was 
found  a  heavy  club  two  feet  in  length,  a  hand  saw, 
brace  and  bits,  and  a  bunch  of  skeleton  keys. 


CHAIN  SAVES  HIS  LIFE. 

BULLET    FIRED    AT    DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE    TURNED    BY    A 
WATCH    GUARD. 

The  bar  and  several  links  of  a  watch  chain  worn 
by  Detective  Wooldridge  saved  his  life  on  the  morn- 


176         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

ing  of  February  ii,  1896.  He  with  othei  officers 
was  trying  to  arrest  some  notorious  levee  characters, 
when  an  unexpected  fusillade  of  bullets,  sent  in  his 
direction,  made  things  lively  for  a  few  minutes. 

Mamie  Johnson,  a  white  woman,  and  Edward 
Speed,  a  colored  piano  player,  lived  in  the  second 
flat  of  412  Dearborn  street.  They  leased  and  opera- 
ted the  entire  building,  which  extended  from  Dear- 
born street  to  Custom  House  place. 

The  basement  was  operated  as  an  opium  joint, 
and  was  patronizd  by  both  black  and  white  persons, 
male  and  female.  The  first  floor  was  furnished  and 
run  as  a  house  of  ill-fame,  and  here  the  celebrated 
and  well-known  panel  game  was  operated  with  great 
success. 

It  is  a  well-known  and  undisputed  fact  that  the 
robberies  and  larcenies  reported  from  412  Dearborn 
street  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station  would 
fill  a  very  large  book,  and  if  it  were  possible  to  figure 
up  the  losses  entailed  one  could  very  easily  start  a 
First  National  bank  with  the  money. 

The  first  floor  of  the  house  was  rented  for  from 
$20  to  $30  per  day  in  advance,  and  very  naturally 
the  proprietor  or  landlady  of  a  house  of  this  descrip- 
tion changed  nearly  every  day. 

On  a  number  of  occasions  a  uniformed  officer  was 
stationed  in  front  of  the  house  night  and  day  for 
from  one  to  two  weeks  at  a  time  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  trying  to  prevent  robberies  and  larcenies  from 
taking  place. 

On  the  second  floor  of  the  structure  Mamie  John- 
son and  Edward  Speed  lived  in  luxury  and  style,  and 
rented    rooms    to    ten    or   twelve    of   the    cleverest 


CHAIN  SAVES  HIS  LIFE 


177 


strong-arm,     thieving,  panel-working     women     that 

ever  infested  Chicago  and  the  levee  district. 

At  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  in   question,  De- 
tectives    Wooldridge  and     Schubert,     in     citizen's 


THE  SHOOTING  IN  THE  HALLWAY. 


X78         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

clothes,  and  Officers  Morris,  Bell,  O'Connor,  Brad- 
ley and  O'Hara,  in  uniform,  armed  with  state  war- 
rants for  the  arrest  of  Delia  Blackmbre  and  WilHam 
Thompson  for  the  robbery  of  a  stockman  of  $400  on 
the  evening  before  in  the  flat  on  the  first  floor,  ap- 
proached the  house.  They  also  had  warrants  for  the 
keeper  of  the  place,  Mamie  Johnson,  as  well  as  for 
the  other  inmates  of  the  house. 

Entrance  was  effected  without  any  resistance,  and 
six  persons  were  found  and  arrested. 

The  flat  ran  east  and  west  from  Dearborn  street 
to  Plymouth  place,  and  the  rooms  were  located  on 
the  south  side  of  the  building  facing  a  hall  six  feet 
in  width  which  ran  the  full  length  of  the  building. 

In  this  hall  stood  the  police  officers,  waiting  for 
the  prisoners  to  dress.  Charles  Wyatt  and  his  mis- 
tress, Ida  Holmes,  occupied  a  room  in  the  center  of 
the  hall,  and  directly  in  front  of  this  door  Detective 
Wooldridge  and  O'Hara  stood  chatting,  when,  with- 
out any  cause  or  provocation,  Charles  Wyatt,  who 
was  partly  dressed,  stepped  to  the  door  with  a  38- 
caliber  Smith  &  Wesson  revolver,  and  fired  two 
shots  in  rapid  succession  at  Wooldridge  and  O'Hara, 
who  were  only  five  feet  away  from  him  at  the  time. 

The  hall  was  lighted  by  a  lamp  attached  to  the 
frame  of  the  door  of  Wyatt's  room,  and  the  deadly 
missiles  of  death  passed  safely  by  the  two  officers, 
yust  missing  their  heads  by  a  hair's  breadth  and 
lodging  in  the  wall  of  the  building. 

Before  the  officers  could  draw  their  guns  and  seize 
Wyatt,  he  fired  again,  and  the  bullet  lodged  in  a 
washtub  in  the  further  end  of  the  hall,  fortunately 
doing  no  damage  to  the  officers. 


CHAIN  SAVES  HIS  LIFE  179 

The  two  officers  separated  and  sprang  to  the 
side  of  the  door,  out  of  range  of  Wyatt's  revolver, 
and  made  a  desperate  effort  to  catch  hold  of  him  and 
disarm  him,  but  he  was  too  quick  for  them,  stepping 
back  into  his  room  with  only  his  hand  and  a  portion 
of  his  arm  extended  beyond  the  door.  He  flourished 
his  revolver  up  and  down  and  kept  both  officers  cov- 
ered. 

Thus  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  Wooldridge  and 
O'Hara  had  no  opportunity  afforded  them  of  using 
their  guns,  and  again  it  was  really  too  dangerous,  as 
the  house  was  filled  with  people  and  officers  who 
wouM  be  in  danger  of  being  shot. 

Charles  Wyatt  fired  again,  and  the  bullet  struck 
the  bar  on  Wooldridge's  watch  chain,  which  divert- 
ed its  course  and  saved  the  life  of  the  detective.  The 
bar  and  several  links  of  the  watch  chain  and  one- 
half  of  a  button  on  his  vest  were  shot  away,  and 
the  bullet  also  passed  through  a  heavy  Irish  frieze 
overcoat  and  his  undercoat.  When  it  had  spent 
its  force  it  dropped  to  the  floor,  where  it  was  picked 
up.  Officer  Bell,  who  was  standing  on  the  top  of  the 
steps  leading  to  the  hall,  then  fired  at  Wyatt,  and 
shot  a  portion  of  the  door  away  which  was  close  to 
Wyatt's  head.  This  shot  had  the  effect  of  putting 
out  the  light  and  caused  Wyatt  to  retreat  into  his 
room,  closing  and  locking  the  door. 

Upon  the  advice  of  his  friends,  however,  Wyatt 
afterwards  surrendered  to  the  officers.  He  was  in- 
dicted and  tried  for  assault  to  kill,  but  through  myS' 
terious  influences  he  escaped  punishment. 


180        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
SAVED  FAMILY  FROM  STARVATION. 

PATHETIC    SIDE    OF    DETECTIVE's    LIFE    SHOWN     IN     HELI 
GIVEN  TO  THE  POOR. 

Many  cases  are  presented  in  the  life  of  a  detective 
(which  show  the  truth  of  the  saying  that  "half  the 
people  do  not  know  how  the  other  half  lives."  These 
guardians  of  life  and  of  the  peace  and  property  of  the 
public  often  do  acts  of  kindness  of  which  nothing  is 
ever  known.  One  case  of  this  character  in  particu- 
lar illustrates  that  these  secret-service  men  do  more 
for  humanity  than  catching  thieves  and  running 
down  burglars. 

While  eating  his  supper  one  night  in  the  winter 
of  1891,  Detective  Wooldridge  was  interrupted  by 
a  rap  at  the  door,  and  on  answering  it,  he  found  a 
woman  who  was  his  neighbor  standing  on  the  out- 
side, partly  clad,  with  a  baby  in  her  arms,  both  shak- 
ing from  the  bitter  cold  as  if  they  had  the  ague. 

She  began  to  cry  piteously  and  told  him  that  two 
men  had  entered  her  house  by  force,  and  were,  like 
freebooters,  carrying  away  all  the  furniture  she  had. 
She  told  him  she  only  had  $50  worth  of  furniture, 
which  she  had  bought  from  a  firm  of  west  side  fur- 
niture dealers,  and  had  paid  all  she  owed  on  it  ex- 
cept ten  dollars ;  that  she  was  two  weeks  behind  on 
the.  last  payment,  but  her  two  daughters  were  at 
work  downtown  trying  to  earn  money  enough  to 
finish  the  payment. 

She  said  she  had  begged  the  men  not  to  take  the 
furniture  until  the  girls  came  home  from  work, 
when  she  would  pay  them,  but  they  only  answered 
her  with  curses  and  abuse. 


SAVED  FAMILY  FROM  STARVATION  181 

This  appeal  went  at  once  to  the  heart  of  the  de- 
tective, and  without  waiting  to  put  on  a  coat  or  hat, 
he  rushed  out  of  the  room  and  went  into  the  place, 
where  two  stalwart  men  were  carrying  the  furniture 
out.  He  asked  them  what  they  meant  by  coming 
into  the  woman's  house  and  taking  her  property,  and 
also  asked  them  if  they  were  officers.  He  said  he 
had  been  appealed  to  by  Mrs.  Cummings,  and  told 
them  plainly  that  they  must  explain  to  him. 

They  told  him  it  was  none  of  his  business,  and  that 
if  he  interfered  he  would  be  thrown  out.  Wool- 
dridge  left,  and  going  back  to  his  residence,  put  on 
his  uniform  and  returned  to  the  scene.  He  then 
informed  them  that  the  woman  made  complaint  and 
asked  for  protection,  and  he  was  going  to  give  it  to 
her. 

He  told  the  men  that  they  were  neither  officers 
nor  were  they  working  under  order  from  any  court. 
They  claimed  they  were  foreclosing  a  mortgage  on 
the  furniture,  and  produced  a  document  of  some 
kind.  They  were  informed  that  the  document  was 
only  a  contract  for  the  payment  of  a  certain  sum, 
and  furthermore,  they  could  not  foreclose  a  mort- 
gage after  dark  if  the  parties  protested  in  the  name 
of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

He  further  informed  them  that  they  had  no  right 
to  touch  or  lay  their  hands  on  a  single  piece  of  fur- 
niture against  the  protest  of  Mrs.  Cummings  with- 
out an  order  from  the  court;  that  they  were  no  more 
than  highwaymen,  and  the  woman  would  be  justi- 
fied in  killing  both  of  them. 

After  Wooldridge  got  through,  one  of  them  an- 
swered that  he  had  talked  with  police  officers  before, 


182         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  commanded  the  other  to  go  ahead  and  take 
down  the  furniture  without  regard  to  Wooldridge. 
He  grabbed  an  armful  and  started  for  the  door.  The 
officer  covered  him  with  two  revolvers,  and  told  him 
if  he  attempted  to  pass  the  door  he  would  blow  his 
brains  out.  He  dropped  the  goods  in  a  hurry.  Wool- 
dridge then  compelled  them  to  replace  every  piece 
of  furniture  they  had  taken  out,  and  stood  by  to  see 
that  they  did  so.  He  then  ordered  them  out  of  the 
house,  and  told  them  not  to  return  without  an  order 
from  the  court,  gave  them  his  name,  number  of  his 
star,  and  the  station  to  which  he  belonged.  He 
then  went  to  the  Stanton  Avenue  Station  and  re- 
ported the  matter  to  Lieutenant  Healy,  who  was  in 
charge,  and  who  said  he  did  just  right. 

Ten  dollars  were  collected  that  night  by  Wool- 
dridge from  the  officers  at  the  station,  and  next 
morning  it  was  given  to  the  woman,  whom  they  ad- 
vised to  go  over  and  lift  the  mortgage,  as  the  firm 
might,  out  of  revenge,  make  her  some  trouble 
through  the  courts  when  they  learned  what  had  oc- 
curred the  previous  night. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  following  morning  Mr.  Wool- 
dridge's  wife  came  running  in,  and  waking  him  up, 
told  him  that  Mrs.  Cummings'  baby  was  dying  and 
they  had  no  doctor.  The  officer  told  his  wife  to  go 
to  the  drug  store  and  telephone  for  a  doctor  while 
he  dressed.  Dr.  Clarence  Linsey  responded,  and  was 
told  to  make  investigations,  treat  the  child,  and  send 
the  bill  to  him.  The  child  was  treated  by  Dr.  Linsey 
free  of  charge. 

When  Wooldridge  and  Dr.  Linsey  went  to  Mrs. 
Cummings'  flat  they  found  one  of  the  most  desolate 


SAVED  FAMILY  FROM  STARVATION  183 

homes  it  had  ever  been  their  lot  to  gaze  upon.  There 
was  no  carpet  on  the  floor,  no  fuel  in  the  house ;  one 
greasy  old  lamp  without  a  chimney;  no  sheets  on 
the  beds,  and  where  there  had  been  lids  to  the  old 
stove,  there  were  now  tin  pie  plates. 

Five  of  the  family  sat  down  to  breakfa$t  that 
morning  upon  ten  cents'  worth  of  onions.  They 
owed  three  months'  rent ;  the  grocery  had  shut  down 
on  them  and  they  had  been  notified  by  the  landlord 
to  move.  Wooldridge  started  out,  and  before  night 
seven  grocery  wagons  stopped  at  Mrs.  Cummings' 
house  loaded  with  provisions.  The  officer  went  to 
Mrs.  Cudahy,  3138  Michigan  avenue,  the  wife  of  the 
big  packer,  and  told  her  the  condition  of  the  Cum- 
mings family. 

She  immediately  sent  out  two  clerks  from  McEl- 
roy's  dry  goods  store  on  Thirty-first  street  to  see  what 
was  needed.  She  sent  bedding  and  clothing  to  the 
amount  of  $42.  Wooldridge  raised  by  subscription 
$30,  paid  the  rent,  and  secured  a  donation  of  food, 
clothing,  coal,  etc.,  to  the  amount  of  $200.  He  also 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Chicago  Herald,  which  was  do- 
ing a  great  deal  to  assist  charity,  and  upon  investi- 
gation it  contributed  also,  and  made  the  following 
statement,  which  was  published  in  the  paper  on  the 
morning  of  February  8,  1891 : 

"With  a  bakery  and  a  meat  market  on  either  side 
of  them,  the  Cummings  family,  352  Thirty-seventh 
street,  were  found  yesterday  in  want  of  the  necessa- 
ries of  life.  The  husband  has  been  out  of  work  for 
several  months  and  the  family  of  six  live  on  the 
slender  earnings  of  two  small  girls.  So  destitute 
were  they  that  the  girls  had  to  walk  to  work  yester- 


184         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

day  morning,  a  distance  of  four  miles.  Two  boys  with 
ragged  clothing  lay  on  the  bare  floor,  playing  with 
some  blocks.  Neither  of  them  had  underclothing  to 
wear.  A  little  baby  cooed  in  its  mother's  arms.  'We 
once  had  a  happy  home,'  said  Mrs.  Cummings,  'but 
reverses  came  and  left  us  penniless.  The  girls  are 
proud-spirited,  and  so  am  I,  and  for  that  reason  we 
have  not  made  known  our  circumstances  to  the  pub- 
lic. It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  myself  and  the  chil- 
dren have  gone  without  food  two  days  at  a  time. 

"  'None  of  the  neighbors  knew  of  our  condition, 
for  we  keep  it  as  quiet  as  we  can.  It  is  ten  times 
harder  for  us  to  bear  up  under  this  state  of  affairs 
than  if  we  had  not  in  former  days  had  plenty.' 

"While  the  woman  was  talking  she  tried  in  vain 
to  keep  back  the  tears  that  were  welling  in  her  eyes. 
That  she  had  once  seen  happier  days  there  was  no 
mistaking.  Her  speech  indicated  that  she  had  a 
good  education.  Even  in  her  poverty  she  was  too 
proud  to  make  known  her  wants.  A  few  months  ago 
she  bought  $50  worth  of  furniture  from  a  west  side 
installment  house.  The  girls  have  worked  hard  to 
keep  up  the  payments,  and  there  is  still  a  payment 
due  of  ten  dollars.  Last  Saturday  two  men  from"  the 
furniture  house  forced  their  way  into  the  humble 
home  of  the  Cummingses  and  began  to  carry  out 
a  cheap  bedroom  set.  Officer  Wooldridge,  who  lives 
near  by,  stopped  them  as  they  were  carrying  the 
stuff  down  the  stairway.  One  of  the  girls  is  afflicted 
with  St.  Vitus'  dance  and  is  scarcely  able  to  work. 
The  rent  must  be  paid,  however,  and,  sick  as  she  is, 
she  goes  to  the  type  foundry  every  morning  with 
her  sister.     Some  of  the  girls  at  the  shop  who  have 


FOUND  THEIR  MATCH  185 

good  homes  and  plenty  to  eat  made  fun  of  the  Ctim- 
mings  sisters  a  fe^y  days  ago  because  they  had  bread 
only  for  their  lunch.  When  the  sisters  went  home 
that  night  they  cried  themselves  to  sleep.  They  are 
two  little  heroines,  and  such  devotion  should  not  go 
unrewarded.  The  family  is  sorely  in  need  of  bed  cloth-  ' 
ing,  wearing  apparel  and  coal.  A  reporter  for  the 
Herald  gladdened  their  hearts  last  night  with  a 
package  of  provisions.  Their  other  wants  will  be 
attended  to  immediately  by  the  Herald  Relief  Corps. 
Any  one  having  bed  clothing  or  wearing  apparel  to 
spare  cannot  bestow  it  on  a  more  worthy  family." 


FOUND   THEIR   MATCH. 

OFFICERS   ATTACKED    BY   A    BEAR    IN    THE    DARK LOOKING 

FOR    A    NEW    GAME^    THEY    DISCOVER    ONE. 

After  long  years  of  fruitless  efifort  to  find  his  match, 
the  Chicago  detective  discovered  him. 

He  was  found  in  a  dark  basement  under  a  State- 
street  museum,  and  he 'remained  there,  a  common 
black  bear  from  northern  Michigan,  while  four  po- 
lice officers  who  ventured  to  enter  his  den  were  laid 

v 

up  for  extensive  repairs. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  David  Crockett,  brave  hunter 
that  he  was,  would  not  venture  to  intrude  upon  the 
reveries  of  a  bear  in  the  dark.  It  is  also  in  the  range 
of  possibilities  that  these  four  officers  would  have 
found  it  convenient  to  be  reported  on  the  sick  list 
the  morning  before  had  they  known  what  the  day  had 
in  store  for  them.    It  happened  this  way : 


186         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Augustus  Meyer  went  to  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion and  complained  to  Lieutenant  Collins  that  he 
had  been  swindled  in  the  museum.  A  warrant  was 
sworn  out  and  the  place  raided.  Detectives  Loftus 
Hennessy,  Teape,  Howard  and  Wooldridge  were  de- 
tailed on  the  case.  It  was  a  free  show,  and  on  the 
inside  were  a  few  wax  heads,  a  figure  of  the  late 
George  Painter,  and  several  other  "pieces  of  statuary." 

In  the  rear  of  the  room  is  a  small  one,  and  from 
this  room  opens  a  closet.  Meyer  had  told  the  officers 
that  he  had  run  against  a  new-fangled  game,  and 
search  was  made  for  the  box  with  which  the  game 
was  played.  A  number  of  steps  lead  from  the  small 
rear  room  to  the  basement,  and  it  was  at  the  foot 
of  these  stairs  that  the  bear  was  encountered.  De- 
tective Loftus  proceeded  down  the  stairs.  There 
was  no  light,  and  Loftus  could  not  have  seen  his 
hand  before  his  face  if  he  put  it  there.  On  reaching 
the  bottom  ot  the  stairs  the  bear  seized  him  by  the 
coat. 

Greatly  alarmed,  Detective  Loftus  tore  himself 
away  and  shouted  for  assistance.  Not  knowing  what 
the  trouble  was,  Hennessy;  Teape  and  Howard  ran 
down  the  steps  into  the  darkness,  only  to  fall  upon 
the  animal. 

The  bear  began  howling  and  snapping  his  huge 
jaws,  and  the  struggle  could  be  heard  upstairs.  De- 
tective Wooldridge,  wondering  what  was  the  matter, 
joined  his  brother  officers. 

He  was  cautious,  however,  to  strike  a  match,  and 
saw  the  bear  standing  on  its  haunches  and  Teape  and 
Hennessy  lying  on  the  floor.  Wooldridge  struck  the 
bear  a  terrible  blow  over  the  head  with  his  revolver, 


HID  TKn:  MONEY  IN  HER  HAIR  187 

causing  the  animal  to  reel  to  one  side.  Loftus  gave 
the  bear  another  blow,  and  in  a  second  Teape  and 
Hennessy  were  on  their  feet. 

Howard  had  not  been  idle  and  did  his  best  to  keep 
the  bear  on  its  haunches  by  shouting  at  it.  The  five 
officers  hastened  upstairs,  and  some  suggested  that 
the  bear  be  arrested  for  interfering  with  an  officer. 
The  search  for  the  box  was  then  begun,  and  it  was 
found  in  the  closet,  the  door  of  which  had  to  be  broken 
open,  as  the  proprietor  refused  to  give  up  the  keys. 

Loftus'  coat  was  torn  in  several  places,  and  Teape's 
and  Howard's  clothes  were  also  torn  on  the  shoulders. 

Six  men  were  in  the  place  at  thti  time,  and  they 
were  all  placed  under  arrest  and  charged  with  swin- 
dling. The  proprietor  was  also  charged  with  oper- 
ating the  place  without  a  license. 

When  they  came  up  for  trial  all  were  fined  heavily. 


HID  THE  MONEY  IN  HER  HAIR. 

Detective  Wooldridge  arrested  a  woman  who 
adopted  a  novel  method  of  hiding  the  money  she 
had  stolen.  One  Sunday  evening  a  man  named  Win- 
ter was  taking  a  stroll  through  the  streets  of  Chicago 
and  curiosity  induced  him  to  pass  through  Custom 
House  place,  where  he  was  drawn  into  a  conversation 
with  a  colored  thief  and  pickpocket  named  Mamie 
Levelle.  While  he  was  listening  to  the  voice  of  the 
siren,  she  deftly  abstracted  from  his  pockets  the  com- 
fortable sum  of  $427.  When  he  detected  that  his 
money  had  disappeared  he  seized  the  woman  as  she 
started  to  run  into  122  Custom  House  place,  which 


188         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

was  a  den  of  vice  kept  at  that  time  by  Grace  St.  Clair. 
The  man  called  loudly  for  help,  and  Detective 
Wooldridge  who  was  passing  down  the  street  heard 
the  call  and  ran  to  the  man's  assistance.  He  arrested 
the  woman  and  recovered  $327  of  the  money,  for 
during  the  struggle  with  her  victim  she  succeeded 
in  separating  a  $100  bill  from  the  $427  and  hid  it  in 
her  hair.  When  taken  to  the  station  she  confessed  to 
the  robbery  and  was  held  to  the  grand  jury  by  the 
police  magistrate.  She  sent  for  a  professional  bonds- 
man and  he  became  her  surety  and  she  was  released. 
When  asked  to  produce  the  missing  $100  she  claimed 
that  she  gave  i1»to  her  bondsman,  who,  she  declared, 
had  spent  it.  She  was  arraigned  for  trial  April  27. 
1893,  before  Judge  McConnel  and  was  found  guilty 
of  grand  larceny  by  the  jury  and  her  punishment  was 
fixed  at  a  term  in  the  Joliet  penitentiary,  but  Judge 
McConnel  suspended  the  sentence  and  the  woman 
escaped  punishment. 


DETECTIVE  PLAYS  THE  DUDE. 

PASSES   AS  A    woman's    HUSBAND   AND   IS   ARRESTED   AS   A 
CROOK    AND    HORSE    THIEF. 

Detectives  are  frequently  compelled  to  assume 
many  different  disguises  to  accomplish  their  difficult 
work.  The  latest  adventure  Detective  Wooldridge 
undertook  in  this  line  was  to  disguise  himself  as  the 
leader  of  the  levee's  400.  He  dressed  himself  up  as 
a  real  "  dude,"  invaded  a  place  from  which  detectives 
were  excluded,  posed  as  the  leader  of  the  demi-monde, 


DETECTIVE  PLAYS  THE  DUDE  189 

allowed  a  brother  officer  to  arrest  him,  and  ,even  suf- 
fered  the    indignities   of   being   slapped   in   the   face, 
kicked,  cuffed,  and  taken  to  the  police  station  in  a» 
patrol  wagon. 

Many  complaints  had  been  made  at  the  Harrison 
Street  Station  in  1896  of  a  thieving  panel  house  at  4I1 
and  413  State  street.  Detectives  Wooldridge  and 
Schubert  were  detailed  to  break  it  up.  The  victims  of 
the  place  were  usually  strangers  and  traveling  men 
decoyed  from  the  Polk  street  depot,  which  is  only  a 
short  distance  from  the  house.  Several  women  known 
as  panel-house  "steerers"  were  engaged  in  this  voca- 
tion, and  with  their  pretty  faces  and  captivating  smiles 
and  flashy  dresses  were  doing  a  land-office  business  in 
catching  "suckers,"  as  they  termed  it.  A  number  of 
trips  were  made  by  the  officers  to  the  house  without 
success. 

On  September  24  at  11  p.  m.  Wooldridge,  disguised 
as  a  dude  with  silk  hat,  red  gloves,  eye  glasses  and  a 
cane,  went  to  the  above  number,  and  on  the  third  floor 
met  Mollie  Howard  in  the  hall,  who  was  delighted  to 
see  him.  She  did  not  recognize  the  famous  detective 
who  introduced  himself  as  Mr.  Smith  from  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  carried  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Miss 
Rosie  Clark,  who  was  supposed  to  live  in  the  house 
three  months  previous.  Miss  Howard  assured  him 
Rosie  had  left  the  week  before  tor  St.  Paul,  and  kindly 
offered  to  entertain  him  and  show  him  the  sights  ot 
State  street  under  the  electric  lights  if  he  would  ac- 
company her  to  the  flat  below  where  she  could  com- 
plete her  toilet. 

They  repaired  to  the  flat  below,  when  Miss  Howard 
discovered  she  h  id  lost  hei  key,  but  before  she  could 


190         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

use  the  keys  offered  her  by  Wooldridge,  Detective 
Schubert,  his  partner,  came  from  his  place  of  hiding, 
Showed  his  star  and  demanded  to  know  who  they  were 
and  what  they  were  doing  at  that  late  hour. 

Miss  Howard  said  that  the  gentleman  was  her  hus- 
band, and  worked  for  Siegcl,  Cooper  &  Co.,  and  that 
they  were  looking  for  housekeeping  rooms.  Turning 
to  Wooldridge,  she  said  "Is  that  not  so,  dearie?" 
Wooldridge  replied,  "Yes,  dearie."  Schubert  pre- 
tended to  recognize  him  as  a  robber,  horse  thief  and 
confidence  man  whom  he  had  arrested  before.  The 
indignation  of  Miss  Howard  and  Wooldridge  was 
aroused  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  they  almost  came  to 
blows  with  Schubert.  Miss  Howard  stamped  her  foot 
in  rage,  demanded  the  name  of  the  officer,  the  number 
of  his  star,  and  threatened  to  go  to  the  station  and 
report  him. 

Schubert  remained  firm,  placed  them  both  under 
arrest,  and  started  for  the  patrol  box  at  Hubbard  court 
and  Wabash  avenue.  On  the  way  over  Schubert  con- 
tinued to  upbraid  Wooldridge,  charging  him  with  the 
commission  of  many  crimes  and  even  striking  him  on 
the  face.  Miss  Howard  protested  in  the  strongest 
language  upon  this  treatment  of  her  husband. 

When  Schubert  stepped  into  the  patrol  box  to  ring 
for  the  patrol  wagon,  Wooldridge  started  to  run,  but 
Schubert  grabbed  him  and  charged  him  with  trying  to 
escape.  He  slapped  him  in  the  face  and  shoved  him 
into  the  patrol  box,  raining  kick  after  kick  upon  him. 
Miss  Howard  rushed  to  his  rescue,  imploring  the 
officer  not  to  kill  her  dear  husband.  Taking  her  hand- 
kerchief, she  carefully  wiped  Wooldridge's  face  and 


SHOOTS  A  GAMBLING  KING  191 

implanted  a  kiss  thereon,  and  with  kind  and  loving 
words  tried  to  console  him. 

A  whispered  conversation  was  carried  on  between 
them  on  the  way  to  the  station.  Miss  Howard  told 
her  husband  (Wooldridge)  to  stick  to  the  statement 
she  had  made  to  the  effect  that  he  was  her  husband, 
and  to  secure  bonds,  and  they  would  prefer  charges 
against  Schubert  and  would  get  him  discharged  from 
the  force. 

Wooldridge  agreed  to  it  all.  Little  did  Miss  Howard 
think  that  she  was  trying  to  discharge  Wooldridge's 
partner,  and  she  did  not  discover  it  until  she  was  ar- 
raigned the  next  morning  in  court. 

Judge  Richardson  when  informed  of  all  the  particu- 
lars thought  it  a  huge  joke.  Miss  Howard  was  fined 
$50  and  released  on  promises  to  leave  the  district.  The 
house  was  speedily  closed. 


SHOOTS  A  GAMBLING  KING. 

YOUNG  CUBAN  ENRAGED  BY  LOSSES  AND  CRAZED  BY  DRINK 
NEARLY    COMMITS    MURDER. 

One  of  the  important  criminal  cases  in  police  history 
and  one  that  will  long  be  remembered,  was  that  in 
which  Charles  Haines  attempted  to  kill  John  Johnson 
who  was  known  as  the  "King  of  the  Colored  Gam- 
blers,'' and  who  conducted  a  saloon  and  gambling 
house  at  464  State  street.  The  shooting  came  neat 
causing  Haines  the  loss  of  his  life  at  the  hands  of  a 
mob,  and  he  was  only  saved  from  the  vengeance  of 
Johnson's  friends  through  the  prompt  arrival  of  De- 


192         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIMb 

tective  Wooldridge  and  two  other  officers,  who  ar- 
rested Haines  and  drove  the  angry  crowd  back  with 
drawn  revolvers. 

Charles  Haines  was  twenty-nine  years  old,  passed 
as  a  colored  man,  and  was  born  in  a  suburb  of  Havana, 
Cuba.  He  graduated  from  Alphonso  College,  Havana, 
and  after  leaving  there  completed  his  course  in  medi- 
cine. He  had  made  his  home  in  the  United  States  for 
four  years  previous  to  March  17,  1896,  at  which  time 
the  tragedy  took  place.  He  was  then  a  waiter  or 
porter  on  the  Pullman  parlor  cars  in  various  parts  of 
the  country. 

Haines  and  John  Johnson  were  friends,  and  Haines 
had  visited  Johnson's  place  at  intervals  for  years. 
When  he  came' into  the  city  from  trips  on  the  road  he 
always  went  to  Johnson's  saloon  to  play  craps,  of 
which  he  was  very  fond.  Sometimes  he  won  and  at 
other  times  he  lost. 

On  the  night  of  the  shooting  Haines  had  a  consid- 
erable sum  of  money  with  him,  and  in  company  with 
friends  made  several  visits  to  Johnson's  saloon,  played 
craps  and  won  some  money.  Later  his  luck  changed 
and  he  lost  $460.  Haines  claimed  he  saw  the  game- 
keeper change  the  dice  on  him  and  substitute  loaded 
dice.     Of  course,  this  was  denied. 

Haines  left  the  place  several  times  during  the  night, 
but  returned  and  again  engaged  in  craps.  He  also 
drank  and  later  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with 
another  colored  man.  Revolvers  were  drawn,  but  no 
damage  was  made.  At  the  request  of  Johnson,  Haines 
surrendered  his  revolver,  and  it  was  placed  behind 
the  bar  for  safekeeping  until  he  was  ready  to  go  home. 

Along  towards  morning  Haines  made  the  discovery 


SHOOTS  A  GAMBLING  KING 


193 


that  he  had  only  ten  cents  left,  and  went  to  his  room 
on  Plymouth  place,  forgetting  to  take  his  revolver  with 
him.  He  returned  to  the  saloon,  and  from  being  up 
all  night  and  the  loss  of  money  did  not  feel  in  a  very 
good  humor.    John  Johnson  was  still  standing  behind 


SCE.NE  OF  THE  SHOOTING. 

the  bar  near  the  front  of  the  saloon,  leaning  against 
ia.  large  safe. 

Haines  asked  for  his  revolver,  which  was  given  to, 
him.    Hot  words  then  followed  between  them,  Haines 
complaining  of   the   way   he   had   been   treated    and 
cheated  out  of  his  money.    As  to  what  else  passed  there 


194         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

were  many  conflicting  stories.  The  shooting  was  not 
seen  by  any  one,  as  a  glass  partition  separated  the 
front  part  of  the  saioon,  where  they  were,  from  the  bar. 

The  sharp  report  of  the  revolver  was  heard,  followed 
by  two  more  in  succession.  John  Johnson  clasped 
his  hands  over  his  heart  and  fell  to  the  floor.  One  of 
the  bullets  almost  passed  through  his  breast  in  the 
region  of  the  heart,  and  one  of  the  balls  missed  him 
and  imbedded  in  the  wood  in  range  of  his  head. 

Again  the  report  of  the  revolver  rang  out  on  the» 
clear  morning  air.  This  time  the  revolver  was  pointed 
to  the  rear  of  the  saloon,  where  the  crap  games  and 
tables  were  situated  and  where  several  were  still  play- 
ing. William  Moore,  another  colored  man,  was  shot 
in  the  thigh  and  fell  to  the  floor.  Every  one  in  the 
room  was  thrown  in  a  state  of  excitement  and  tried  to 
get  into  some  place  of  shelter. 

Haines  made  his  escape  to  the  street  by  the  front 
door.  Some  one  seeing  that  Johnson  was  shot,  seized 
a  gun  from  the  bar  and  fired  at  Haines  through  the 
window  as  he  ran  down  the  street  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  Johnson's  friends.  The  crowd  fired  two  shots 
at  Haines,  but  without  effect.  He  took  refuge  in  a 
basement,  and  a  mob  of  colored  men  soon  gathered, 
crying,  "Hang  him  !    Hang  him  !" 

Just  then  Officer  Wooldridge  and  two  others  arrived 
and  placed  Haines  under  arrest,  and  with  drawn  re- 
volvers kept  back  the  crowd.  They  safely  landed 
the  prisoner  in  the  Harrison  Street  Station. 

John  Johnson  was  removed  to  the  Presbyterian 
Hospital,  and  for  weeks  lingered  between  life  and 
death,  but  under  the  skillful  treatment  of  Dr.  Senn, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  surgeons  in  the  West,  he 


CLOSES  S.CHOOL  FOR  CRIME  195 

recovered.  William  Moore  was  out  in  a  few  days, 
having  received  only  a  flesh  wound. 

On  May,  i8,  1896,  Charles  Haines  was  arraigned  for 
trial  before  Judge  Baker  for  assault  with  intent  to 
kill.  He  declined  the  offer  of  an  attorney  by  the 
court,  and  said  he  would  take  care  of  his  own  inter- 
ests, but  a  little  wrestling  with  the  intricacies  of  the 
law  convinced  him  that  he  needed  help,  and  he  engaged 
Alfred  Lytle,  a  colored  lawyer.  Haines  admitted  he 
dTd  the  deed,  but  stated  it  was  done  in  self-defense, 
as  he  was  in  danger  at  the  time. 

He  had  trouble  with  Johnson  once  before,  and 
knocked  out  two  of  his  teeth. 

Haines  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  an  indefinite 
time  in  the  penitentiary.  He  had  a  young  wife  and 
two  children  at  Hamlin,  W.  Va. 


CLOSES  SCHOOL  FOR  CRIME. 

DETECTIVE  RAIDS  A  UNIVERSITY  IN   WHICH  YOUNG  PEOPLE 
WERE   MADE   CRIMINALS. 

Detective  Wooldridge  performed  a  service  for  Chi- 
cago in  1896  which  obtained  for  him  the  everlasting 
gratitude  of  all  good  citizens. 

Complaints  had  frequently  been  made  to  the  officials 
at  the  Harrison  Street  Station  of  an  unusual  amount 
of  shoplifting  and  pocketpicking  in  the  big  stores  on 
State  street  and  vicinity. 

At  the  same  time  Detective  Wooldridge,  who  was 
then  working  from  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  re- 
ceived information  that  there  was  a  "fence,"  which  is 


196         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

a  place  where  stolen  goods  are  stored,  and  a  school 
for  thieves  in  a  lodging  house  at  316  Clark  street. 

The  officer  secured  suits  of  clothing  which  were 
ragged,  for  two  of  his  friends,  and  asked  thern  to  beg 
in  Clark  street.  Within  a  few  hours  they  had  been 
admitted  to  the  lodging  house  and  to  the  "inner  cir- 
cle" of  lodgers.  Two  days  were  spent  in  the  house 
by  these  men. 

Then  they  reported  that  there  were  about  twenty- 
five  men  and  boys  banded  together  for  the  purpose  of 
thefts  and  burglary ;  that  it  was  easy  to  get  admitted 
to  the  confidence  of  the  men,  and  that  by  a  little  clever 
detective  work  the  men  might  be  arrested  and  their 
"fence"  discovered.  '  Detective  Wooldridge  was  at 
once  put  in  charge  of  the  matter. 

"Don't  come  up  until  you  clear  up  the  whole  case," 
said  the  captain. 

Wooldridge  went  to  a  pawnship  for  a  second-hand 
suit  of  clothes,  and  when  he  emerged  therefrom  he 
met  an  associate  on  the  street  who  did  not  recognize 
him.  He  wore  a  pair  of  butcher's  jumpers  frayed  at 
the  bottom  and  white  at  the  baggy  knees.  His  white 
shirt  and  collar  had  been  laid  aside  for  a  tattered 
shirt  of  calico.  His  coat  and  vest  were  greasy  and  full 
of  holes.  For  a  hat  he  wore  a  piece  of  felt  that  had 
been  picked  up  from  an  alley.  His  shoes  had  long 
ago  been  discarded  by  a  street  beggar. 

A  week's  growth  of  beard,  uncombed  and  generously 
rubbed  with  grease  and  lamp  black,  completed  the 
disguise  and  made  the  policeman  look  like  a  tramp  of 
the  street. 

By  appointment  Wooldridge  in  his  disguise  met  his 
two  friends  at  the  entrance     of  the   lodging  house. 


CLOSES  SCHOOL  FOR  CRIME        197 

They  conducted  him  upstairs  and  introduced  him  to  a 
number  of  men  that  were  congregated  there.  In  a 
few  minutes  Wooldridge  was  smoking  an  old  pipe  and 
teUing  of  his  success  in  acquiring  other  people's  prop- 
erty. 

He  had  been  admitted  to  full  membership,  and  as  a 
new  man  was  introduced  as  the  most  promising  ac- 
quisition. By  common  consent  he  was  not  asked  to 
do  any  "work"  on  the  day  of  his  initiation.  A  dirty 
pack  of  cards  was  produced  and  a  game  was  begun. 
Wooldridge  showed  his  associates  that  he  knew  how 
to  win  a  game. 

Before  the  men  had  been  playing  long,  a  boy  entered, 
bringing  four  pairs  of  opera  glasses,  gave  them  to  one 
of  the  men  inside  and  said,  "Go  out  and  peddle  them." 
The  man  disappeared  with  them.  He  returned  in 
half  an  hour  and  handed  over  to  the  "manager"  a  sum 
of  money. 

Meanwhile  another  boy  entered  with  several  pairs 
of  gloves.  These  were  disposed  of  as  the  glasses 
were.  Others  came,  bringing  other  articles  of  more 
or  less  value,  which  were  given  to  occupants  of  the 
place  with  orders  to  sell  or  "salt"  them.  The  latter 
expression  is  construed  to  mean  to  secrete  in  a  place 
the  police  call  a  "fence." 

In  the  afternoon  at  two  o'clock  sixteen  men  and 
seven  boys  assembled  in  the  room.  Wooldridge 
waited  for  developments,  confident  that  he  was  going 
to  see  the  inner  workings  of  the  place. 

"Are  we  all  here?"  asked  the  manager. 

An  affirmative  reply  was  given,  and  after  a  count 
had  been  made,  a  table  was  drawn  to  the  middle  of  the 
room.  The  manager  piled  it  high  with  articles  from 
a  trunk.     Then  he  stepped  behind  it. 


198         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

"I  am  a  clerk,"  said  he.  "J^"^'  yo^  stall.  Mike,  you 
swipe  the  goods.  If  I  catch  either  of  you,  mind,  you 
get  licked." 

The  persons  addressed  were  about  fourteen  years 
old.  They  obeyed  the  order,  and  Wooldridge  saw  an 
adept  piece  of  shoplifting. 

Every  person  in  the  room  was  put  through  the 
drill.  Then  each  person  was  instructed  in  the  way  to 
pick  pockets,  to  steal  diamond  shirt  studs,  and  to 
snatch  purses  from  women.  Afterward  each  person 
was  put  through  a  drill  calculated  to  make  all  skill- 
ful in  avoiding  capture  by  victims  or  policemen.  The 
school  closed  about  four  o'clock. 

Wooldridge  then  said  he  would  "rush  the  growler" 
— in  other  words,  go  for  a  can  of  beer.  He  returned 
with  the  patrol  wagon  and  arrested  the  members  of 
the  school,  together  with  the  manager  and  preceptors, 
making  twenty-three  all  told. 

One  of  the  prisoners  made  a  confession  at  the  sta- 
tion in  which  he  told  the  police  that  $800  worth  of 
goods  had  been  stolen  from  The  Fair,  from  the  Boston 
Store  and  Siegel,  Cooper  &  Co.'s  store.  This  amount, 
he  said,  had  been  much  increased  by  thefts  of  pocket- 
books  and  diamond  pins.  He  also  said  that  the  men 
and  seven  boys  were  regularly  instructed,  that  the 
things  that  were  considered  safe  were  peddled, 
and  those  which  were  not  considered  safe 
were  "planted"  in  a  storehouse.  The  location 
of  this  place  was  given.  A  number  of  the 
men  were  said  to  be  ex-convicts.  One  of  the  boys 
was  but  twelve  years  old.  The  party  taken  included 
the  following:  L.  D.  Vanniman,  Joseph  Wilson,  Jer- 
ome Tuger,  Charles  Fryer,  S.  F.  Dunklee,  Louis  Var- 


VETERAN  IS  ROBBED  AND  BEATEN     199 

haley,  William  Moran,  Gus  Brunswick,  Charles  Wag- 
ner, Charles  Lombarder,  John  McCarty,  Edward 
Majworden,  Thomas  Miller,  James  Haward,  George 
Price,  John  Rice,  Thomas  Smith,  Robert  Donley,  Louis 
Grey,  Thomas  O'Dwyer,  Richard  Rider,  "Mike"  St. 
James. 


VETERAN  IS  ROBBED  AND  BEATEN. 

THUGS    TAKE    AN     OLD     SOLDIER's    MONEY    AND    CLOTHES, 
LEAVING  HIM    NEARLY   NAKED. 

Two  men  got  into  the  confidence  of  James  Drum- 
mond,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  on  April  ii,  1897, 
and  after  beating  him  into  insensibility,  they  robbed 
him  of  all  he  possessed,  and  even  took  his  clothes  and 
left  him  unconscious  and  nearly  naked  in  the  rear  of 
a  saloon  at  379  Clark  street. 

His  head  was  blood-stained  and  covered  with  cuts 
and  bruises.  One  eye  was  closed  as  the  result  of  the 
blow,  and  no  one  knew  how  long  he  had  been  lying 
in  this  alley  in  an  unconscious  condition.  A  pair  of 
overalls  was  borrowed  and  placed  on  him,  and  he  was 
removed  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  where  the 
blood  was  washed  off  his  wounds,  and  he  was  put  in 
bed  and  made  as  comfortable  as  possible. 

Drummond  stated  that  he  came  from  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  from  the  soldiers'  home,  to  Chicago  to  draw 
the  pension  money  due  him.  After  he  had  received 
the  money  he  purchased  a  hat,  shoes  and  suit  of 
clothes.  He  intended  to  stay  in  Chicago  several  days 
and  visit  different  men  who  had  been  soldiers  and  be- 
longed to  the  same  company  he  was  in  during  the  late 
Civil   War.     He   had'  dropped   into  this   saloon   and 


^00         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

*  • 

found  another  old  veteran  who  had  an  arm  and  a  leg 
blown  off  fighting  for  his  country.     While  they  were 
telling  their  experiences  and  hardships  during  the  war, ' 
two  men  came  in,  pushed  up  by  them,  and  seemed  in- 
terested in  their  conversation. 

Drummond  stated  that  he  had  his  discharge  papers 
in  his  pocket,  also  his  money,  and  wanted  to  find  out 
where  he  could  put  them  and  where  they  would  be 
safe  until  he  was  ready  to  return  to  Milwaukee. 

One  of  the  men  told  him  that  he  knew  a  man  near 
by  who  had'  a  safe  and  was  also  an  old  soldier,  and 
would  keep  them  safely  for  him.  All  three  men  joined 
Drummond  in  a  drink,  and  he  left,  with  the  two  men 
who  were  to  show  him  the  place  where  he  could  leave 
his  papers. 

Instead  of  taking  him  out  the  front  way  they  took 
him  out  the  back  way.  Upon  reaching  the  alley  he 
was  struck  with  a  billy  and  knocked  insensible,  which 
was  the  last  he  remembered. 

Detectives  Wooldridge  and  McDonald  were  detailed 
on  the  case.  Going  to  the  saloon,  they  procured  a 
description  of  the  two  men  who  took  Drummond  out 
the  back  door.  The  entire  levee  was  searched  for 
them,  and  finally,  after  three  hours,  they  were  found 
coming  out  of  a  saloon  on  Clark  street,  a  block  from 
the  scene  of  the  robbery,  accompanied  by  a  third  man. 

Wooldridge  seized  two  of  the  men,  and  one,  Thomas 
McGowan,  attempted  to  draw  a  revolver  on  him.  At 
this  moment  Detective  McDonald  and  a  reporter,  who 
was  with  him,  came  to  Wooldrldge's  assistance  and 
disarmed  McGowan.  All  three  were  arrested  and 
taken  to  the  station. 

On  T.  J.  Wilson,  one  of  the* robbers,  the  suit  of 


OSTRICH  FEATHER  GIVES  A  CLUE 


201 


clothes  Drummond  had  just  purchased  was  found.  He 
also  had  his  hat,  and  in  the  vest  pocket  of  the  clothes 
was  found  Drummond's  pocket  comb  that  he  had  car- 
ried since  the  war. 

Wilson  had  disposed  of  his  own  clothes  and  donned 
Drummond's  after  robbing  the  old  min. 

The  suit  of  clothes  stolen  from  Drummond  was 
taken  off  of  Wilson  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
owner,  and  Wilson,  the  robber,  was  left  in  the  same 
fix  he  left  the  old  soldier,  with  nothing  but  his  under- 
clothes. 

Jerry  Murphy,  one  of  the  men,  was  discharged. 
Thomas  McGowan  was  fined  $25  for  carrying  con- 
cealed weapons  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction. 
T.  J.  Wilson  was  held  to  the  grand  jury  and  indicted. 

The  case  was  called  for  trial  several  times,  but  the 
complaining  witness  could  not  be  found,  and  it  was 
stricken  from  the  docket  with  leave  to  reinstate. 


OSTRICH  FEATHER  GIVES  A  CLUE. 

"Look  out  for  a  tall  woman  with  a  high  ostrich 
feather."  Detective  Wooldridge  was  told  to  arrest  a 
woman  who  had  run  away  from  her  country  home 
and  come  to  Chicago,  and  this  was  the  only  descrip- 
tion he  had  of  the  woman. 


202 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


Her  name  was  Alice  Howard,  and  she  drifted  into 
the  levee  district  and  levee  habits.  Alice  had  a  mania 
for  fine  clothes,  and  on  more  than  one  .occasion  she 
helped  herself  to  other  girls'  wardrobes,  and  was  ar- 
rested several  times  and  held  to  the  criminal  court 
once,  and  would  have  gone  to  prison  had  the  complain- 
ing witness  not  weakened  and  refused  to  prosecute 
her. 

While  boarding  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Harrison 
street  and  Custom  House  Place  in  1899,  Alice  took  a 
fancy  to  a  $28  hat  which  another  boarder  had  just 
purchased  from  the  millinery  department  at  Siegel, 
Cooper  &  Co.'s,  and  without  asking  the  owner's  con- 
sent appropriated  the  hat  to  her  own  use. 

The  matter  was  reported  to  Detective  Wooldridge 
who  began  to  look  for  a  tall  woman  with  a  high  ostrich 
feather.  While  looking  at  the  headgear  of  thousands 
of  shoppers  who  thronged  State  street,  the  detective 
saw  far  ahead  of  him  a  high  ostrich  feather  bobbing 
up  and  down.  It  towered  above  the  heads  of  all  the 
other  shoppers.  He  made  his  way  to  that  feather  and 
beneath  it  was  the  woman  he  wanted. 

She  was  held  to  the  grand  jury,  indicted  and  ar- 
raigned some  weeks  later  for  trial.  The  jury  found 
her  guilty  and  she  was  sentenced  to  one  year  at  hard 
labor  in  the  House  of  Correction. 


USE  A  TUNNEL  TO  ESCAPE  203 


USE  A  TUNNEL  TO  ESCAPE. 

SUBTERRANEAN       PASSAGE       DISCOVERED       BY       DETECTIVE 
WOOLDRIDGE    AND    FUGITIVES    CAUGHT. 

Criminals  use  many  methods  to  escape  the  police, 
jbut  those  who  infested  the  slums  of  Chicago  never 
ifound  one  by  which  they  could  get  away  when  Detec- 
tive Wooldridge  went  after  them.  He  even  pursued 
and  captured  a  gang  who  went  through  a  trapdoor 
and  into  a  tunnel  on  Custom  House  place  in  1896. 

In  that  year  Mattie  Lee,  a  colored  woman,  conducted 
a  den  of  vice  at  150  Custom  House  place  and  gave  the 
,  police  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  She  boasted  that  she 
had  a  little  of  both  negro  and  Irish  blood  in  her  veins 
and  was  one  of  the  toughest  women  on  the  levee.  It 
was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  from  five  to  ten  men  to 
be  robbed  in  a  single  night  in  her  house  by  the  panel 
game.  The  raids  came  so  often  that  Mattie  Lee 
adopted  many  novel  ways  of  escape.  She  first  had  a 
ladder  made  that  reached  the  roof,  by  which  the  in- 
mates made  their  escape.  This  lasted  for  some  time, 
but  as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  she  had  sliding  panel 
doors  made  in  the  wall,  nicely  covered  with  paper. 

The  shrewd  and  vigilant  Wooldridge  soon  found 
these,  however,  and  she  had  to  resort  to  somethmg. 
else.  She  next  had  a  pit  dug  beneath  the  kitchen 
floor,  over  which  was  a  trapdoor  covered  with  an  oil- 
cloth to  screen  it  from  detection.  At  the  bottom  of 
this  pit,  which  was  seven  feet  deep,  there  was  a  mat- 
tress, so  that  when  they  jumped  they  would  not  hurt 
themselves. 

When  a  raid  was  ordered  and  officers  arrived  at 


204         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE!  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


the  house,  the  doors  were  found  locked  and  bolted. 
Several  minutes  would  be  conslimed  in  gaining  admis- 
sion, and  this  would  give  the  inmates  time  to  effect 
their  escape.  This  last  rhethod  was  used  a  long  time 
and  proved  a  success.     The  officer  who  was  then  es- 


k££d£- 


TUNNEL  UNDER  PANEL  HOUSE. 


pecially  detailed  on  Custom  House  place  could  not  tell 
where  the  inmates  of  the  house  made  their  escape. 
Although  they  could  be  seen  in  the  house  before  the 
police  could  succeed  in  effecting  an  entrance,  when 
they  got   inside   all   would   be   gone,   notwithstanding 


USE  A  TUNNEL  TO  ESCAPE  205 

the  house  would  be  surrounded  by  officers.  The  rob- 
beries in  Mattie  Lee's  house  became  so  numerous  and 
bold  that  the  officials  determined  to  put  a  stop  to  it. 
Detective  Wooldridge  was  called  in  and  placed  on  the 
case  to  unravel  the  mystery  of  escape  and  break  it  up. 

Wooldridge  prepared  himself  with  warrants  for 
Mattie  Lee  and  all  the  inmates,  and  was  given  a  de- 
tail of  eight  men  who  were  instructed  as  to  where 
they  should  place  themselves  so  as  to  prevent  the  es- 
cape of  any  one.  With  everything  in  readiness  he 
went  forth  to  make  the  raid.  Upon  arriving  they 
found  the  house  full,  but  before  an  entrance  could  be 
made  all  had  disappeared  as  though  they  were  swal- 
lowed up. 

Wooldridge  secured  a  hatchet  and  went  on  a  tour 
of  inspection,  taking  one  room  after  another,  sound- 
ing the  walls  and  floors  until  he  finally  reached  the 
kitchen.  Striking  the  floor,  something  sounded  like 
it  was  hollow,  and  on  lifting  the  oilcloth  he  discovered 
the  trapdoor,  which  was  soon  raised,  and  he  then 
dropped  into  the  pit.  He  found  no  one,  but  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  an  electric  bell  ring  in  the  pit  behind 
him,  which  was  connected  with  a  room  in  the  front  of 
the  house  and  was  a  danger  signal  for  the  inmates  to 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  police  officers. 

When  the  bell  began  to  ring,  Wooldridge  heard 
footsteps  which  grew  fainter  and  fainter.  He  lighted 
a  match  and  discovered  another  panel  door  which  led 
out  into  a  dark  passageway  under  the  house.  This 
proved  to  be  a  tunnel  dug  under  the  house  and  had 
almost  as  many  crooks  and  turns  as  the  Mammoth 
Cave  in  Kentucky.  It  extended  from  the  rear  of  the 
house  seventy-five  feet  east  to  the  sidewalk,  then  fifty 


206         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

feet  north  under  the  sidewalk,  when  it  again  made  an 
abrupt  turn  west  and  came  up  between  two  houses. 

The  tunnel  itself  was  so  small  that  only  one  person 
could  crawl  through  the  tunnel  doors,  which  blocked 
the  passage  to  all  but  the  criminals  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  it  and  which  made  it  an  efifectual  hiding 
place. 

Wooldridge  with  a  box  of  matches  in  one  hand  and 
a  gun  in  the  other  kept  up  his  search  until  he  seized 
six  of  the  colored  women  panel  workers  and  footpads. 
Three  of  them  escaped,  but  he  succeeded  in  arresting 
the  others.  They  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  and  locked  up  with  Mattie  Lee,  the  keeper, 
and  were  afterward  given  heavy  fines.  Wooldridge 
pried  off  the  panel  doors  and  exhibited  them  as  part 
of  his  evidence,  and  they  caused  much  talk  and  com- 
ment by  all  who  saw  them.  The  discovery  of  the 
tunnel  furnished  some  very  sensational  stories  for  the 
newspapers. 

Wooldridge's  clothes  were  ruined,  and  he  told  the 
prisoners  if  they  ever  tried  to  escape  justice  by  hid- 
ing in  such  places  again  he  would  use  giant  powder 
to  blow  them  out.  The  tunnel  has  never  been  used 
since  he  discovered  it. 


TOO  MUCH   REVENGE. 

DIFFICULTIES  OF   A   MAN   WHO   WANTED   TO  MARRY   AND  A 
WOMAN    WANTED    TO    PREVENT    IT. 

In  seeking  to  prevent  a  man  for  whom  she  had  a. 
tender  feeling  from  marrying  another  woman,  Myrtle 


TOO  MUCH  REVENGE  207 

Belmont  got  a  bridegroom  in  serious  trouble  and  in- 
cidentally in  a  police  court. 

Louis  Wagner  lived  with  Charles  Belmont  and  his 
wife  at  136  Pacific  avenue.  Although  only  eighteen 
years  old,  Wagner  wanted  to  marry  a  young  widow, 
who  lived  on  North  Clark  street.  He  was  even  will- 
ing to  be  a  father  to  her  young  child. 

Mrs.  Belmont,  finding  she  could  not  prevent  the 
marriage,  thought  she  would  at  least  get  revenge. 

Wagner,  who  never  boasts  of  having  any  too  much 
money  in  his  possession,  invested  all  he  had  in  a  dress 
siut  and  other  articles  td  wear  on  the  night  of  his 
marriage. 

Finally,  the  time  of  the  celebration  arrived.  Num- 
erous friends  had  been  invited  to  the  house  and  Wag- 
ner was  speculating  on  what  a  stunning  appearance 
he  would  present.  An  hour  before  the  arrival  of  the 
guests  he  went  to  his  room  to  don  his  new  suit  and 
patent  leather  shoes.  He  looked  about  the  room  and 
was  horrified  to  find  his  entire  outfit  missing. 

The  house  was  searched  from  garret  to  cellar,  but 
the  suit  was  gone,  and  Wagner,  very  much  down- 
hearted, was  forced  to  stand  up  and,  he  said,  be  mar- 
ried in  rags.  He  suspected  the  Belmont  woman  of 
having  stolen  his  wedding  suit,  and  did  not,  it  is  said, 
keep  his  suspicion  to  himself. 

The  woman  heard  of  it  and  thirsted  for  revenge. 
Going  to  the  home  of  Wagner's  wife  on  the  north 
side,  she  said  many  unpleasant  things  to  her.  When 
Wagner  returned  home  and  heard  of  the  visit  of  the 
Belmont  woman,  he  decided  that  he  was  in  need  of  re- 
venge, and  Saturday  afternoon  visited  the  house  on 
r^icitic  avenue 


208         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

He  gained  an  entrance  into  her  place,  but  failed  to 
find  Mrs.  Belmont  at  home.  ,  This  did  not  deter  him 
from  obtaining  his  revenge  and  spying  her  husband's 
wearing  apparel,  he  packed  all  the  clothing  up,  even 
taking  his  shirts,  and  left  the  house.  Sunday  morning 
Mr.  Belmont  started  to  don  his  Sunday  clothes  and, 
like  Wagner,  was  disappointed  in  not  finding  them  in 
their  usual  place. 

Belmont  did  not  leave  the  house,  and  all  Sunday 
kept  his  wife  company.  It  was  reported  to  the  police, 
and  Detective  Wooldridge  soon  found  that  Wagner 
had  been  in  the  house,  and  when  the  Belmont  woman 
was  made  aware  of  this  fact,  her  face  flushed  with 
anger,  and  once  more  revenge  was  sought. 
'  Wagner  was  arrested  and  locked  up,  the  clothes 
were  discovered,  but  when  he  was  arraigned,  Myrtle 
Belmont's  old  love  for  him  returned,  and  she  refused 
to  prosecute.  He  was  discharged,  and  they  left  the 
court  room  hand  in  hand. 


SPIDER  AND  THE  FLY. 

STRANGERS    WHO    VISIT    THE    LEVEE    ILLUSTRATE    THE   OLD 
FABLE   IN    A  FORCIBLE   WAY. 

Strangers  who  have  accepted  invitations  from  oc- 
cupants of  houses  along  Custom  House  place  to  walk 
into  their  parlors  are  living  and  forcible  illustrations 
of  the  fable  about  "The  Spider  and  the  Fly." 

No  one  can  furnish  better  testimony  to  this  fact 
than  a  young  man,  John  ]\Iills,  who  one  night  in  the 
ratter  part  of  September,  1898,  joined  a  party  of  friends 
«.nd  spent  the  early  part  of  the  evening  at  the  theater. 


SPIDEP  AND  THE  FLY  20'J 

It  was  a  convivial  crowd  and  indulged  freely  in  liquid 
lefreshments. 

After  the  theater,  Mills  got  separated  from  his 
friends  and  wandered  over  into  Custom  House  place. 
In  the  doorway  of  142  stood  a  woman  who  invited 
him  to  come  in  and  see  the  high-kicking  girls,  hear  the 
music,  etc. 

This  place  was  kept  by  a  woman  known  as  Lime 
White,  and  was  a  sporting  and  panel  house  which  had 
many  secret  passageways  to  and  from  various  parts 
of  the  building  to  permit  the  inmates  to  go  and  come 
without  being  seen. 

When  Mills  received  this  invitation  to  enter  the 
place  from  Maggie  Spencer,  one  of  the  inmates,  not 
wanting  to  offend  the  girl  and  being  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor,  he  walked  into  the  spider  web,  and 
while  gazing  at  the  high-kicking  girls  he  felt  some 
one  pull  at  his  pocket. 

He  turned  in  time  to  see  Emma  Redmond  draw 
from  his  clothes  his  pocketbook  which  contained  $9 
in  crisp  one-dollar  bills. 

Mills  grabbed  her,  and  she  threw  the  pocketbook 
to  her  partner,  Maggie  Spencer.  He  released  the 
Redmond  girl  and  started  for  the  Spencer  woman 
who  drew  a  knife  with  a  blade  seven  inches  long,  and 
informed  him  that  if  he  came  any  nearer  she  would 
carve  him,  and  carve  him  deep. 

Mills  went  to  the  station  and  complained  to  Detec- 
tive Wooldridge,  who  arrested  both  the  women  later. 
The  case  was  continued  for  ten  days  and  the  money 
returned  to  Mills. 

Wooldridge  took  Mills  before  the  grand  jury  and 
an  indictment  was  voted  for  both  women.     They  were 


21U  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

arraigned  in  due  time,  and  Maggie  Spencer  testified 
that  she  alone  was  the  guilty  one,  and  she  was  given 
four  months  in  the  House  of  Correction  on  Novem- 
ber II,  1898,  by  Judge  Sears. 


OPIUM   AND  ITS  EVILS. 

DENS    CONDUCTED    BY    CHINAMEN    AND    OTHERS    LEAD    TO 
THE   RUIN    OF   THOUSANDS. 

The  use  of  opium  in  its  various  forms  is  one  of  the 
greatest  curses  humanity  has  ever  encountered. 
Science,  in  its  efforts  to  cure  this  gigantic  evil,  has 
been  staggered ;  the  laws  enacted  against  it  have  been 
powerless  to  suppress  it;  moral  influences  have  failed 
to  abate  it ;  homes  have  been  wrecked  by  it ;  asylums 
filled  by  indulgence  in  it;  the  vast  army  of  paupers 
and  criminals  augmented  by  cravings  for  it ;  yet  it 
stands  today  one  of  the  most  potential  evils  in  the 
catalogue  of  degrading,  enslaving  and  humiliating 
practices  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

There  is  only  one  other  drug  which  is  so  ruinous 
and  fatal  to  the  constitution  and  to  the  brain  of  the 
consumer,  and  that  is  cocaine.  This  insidious  de- 
stroyer is  not,  however,  nearly  as  extensively  used  as 
opium  in  its  dififerent  forms,  but  is  coming  into  more 
general  use  daily,  and  its  baneful  effects  will  soon  bt 
almost  as  extensive  as,  are  those  of  opium. 

The  evil  effects  of  opium  are  not  confined  exclusively 
to  the  use  of  it,  but  many  other  degrading  habits  go 
hand  in  hand  with  it,  into  the  palace  and  into  the 
hovel  alike.     Opium  dens  offer  to  the  victims  of  the 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EVILS  211 

drug  a  resort  where  vice  and  crime  reign  supreme ; 
where  the  beggar  lies  side  by  side  with  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  rich.  It  is  one  common  meeting 
ground.  Caste  is  set  aside,  and  on  the  bunks  of 
the  Chinese  joint  humanity  forgets  its  origin  in  the 
obHvion  of  the  pipe  and  pill. 

Opium  smoking  was  first  introduced  in  Chicago  by 
Chinamen,  and  many  of  them  are  slaves  to  it.  In 
1871,  at  the  time  of  the  great  Chicago  fire,  there  was 
only  one  opium  joint  in  the  city,  but  opium  smoking 
increased  so  rapidly  from  that  time,  that  in  1885  there 
were  five  hundred  of  them. 

Sporting  women,  thieves,  and,  in  fact,  about  75  per 
cent,  of  the  criminal  classes,  both  men  and  women, 
black  and  white,  either  smoke  opium  or  use  the  drug 
in  one  form  or  another. 

Enormous  profits  are  derived  from  the  sale  of  opium, 
it  being  calculated  that  they  run  from  100  to  300  per 
cent.  People  who  once  begin  the  use  of  it  soon  be- 
come slaves  to  it,  and  when  they  are  once  in  its  grasp 
it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to'free  themselves  from  it. 

Opium  is  used  by  those  who  are  addicted  to  it  in 
eight  dift"erent  forms,  which  are,  smoking,  gum  eating, 
opium  ashes  eating,  opium  pill  eating,  prepared  opium 
eating,  laudanum  drinking,  morphine  eating  and  the 
morphine  solution  which  is  taken  by  the  needle  from 
a  hypodermic  syringe. 

The  growth  and  cultivation  of  this  drug  is  an  in- 
teresting study.  Opium  is  the  inspissated  or  thick- 
ened juice  of  the  somniferous  poppy  and  is  obtained 
by  making  incisions  in  the  head  of  the  plant  from 
which  the  juice  flows.  This  is  scraped  away  and  then 
prepared  for  commercial  use. 

Its  first  commercial  form  is  that  of  a  thick  brown 


212 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


substance  which   is  called  prepared  opium.     This  is 
the  form  used  for  smoking. 

The  gum  of  opium,  which  is  its  second  form,  is  the 
sediment  resulting  from  a  chemical  process  of  treat- 
ing the  prepared  opium  and  is  used  by  druggists  for 


PARTY  OF  SMOKERS  IN  A  CHINESE  OPIUM  JOINT. 

medical  purposes.  Those  slaves  to  the  drug,  called 
opium  eaters,  use  this  form.  It,  like  the  prepared 
opium,  acts  as  a  stupefying  stimulant,  but  it  is  much 
more  destructive  to  the  system. 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EVILS  213 

Ivlorphine  is  the  next  form  of  the  drug  used  by  those 
who  have  contracted  the  habit,  and  is  the  form  used 
so  extensively  by  physicians  in  their  regular  prac 
tice ;  and  it  appears  almost  incomprehensible  that  a 
drug  which  has  relieved  so  much  suffering  when  used 
properly  and  scientifically  could  also  be  abused  to  the 
extent  of  being  one  of  the  greatest  curses  in  existence/ 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  describe  the 
sufferings  of  opium  eaters  when  they  are  in  want  of 
the  drug.  The  victims  themselves  say  these  tortures 
are  simply  indescribable.  They  commence  when  all 
the  effects  of  the  drug  have  worn  off  and  the  system 
demands  more.  Their  eyes  become  watery,  while 
their  bones  ache  and  their  muscles  in  different  parts 
of  the  body  get  as  hard  as  steel  wire  and  form  into 
knots,  causing  the  most  acute  suffering  that  can  be 
imagined.  They  yawn  and  gape,  and  then  violent 
cramps  assail  the  stomach.  Each  symptom  grows 
worse,  and  the  pains,  which  fly  like  currents  of  elec- 
tricity throughout  every  part  of  the  body,  grow  more 
severe.  Then  follow  hysterics  and  convulsions.  The 
subject  grows  paler  and  perspiration  flows  from  every 
pore  of  his  skin.  Death  soon  relieves  the  poor  vic- 
tim unless  an  opiate  or  a  substitute  is  given  to  save 
him. 

The  sensations  produced  by  an  indulgence  in  the 
drug  vary  with  different  subjects  and  with  the  length 
of  time  they  have  used  it.  The  first  effects  are  those 
of  lassitude- and  rest.  All  pains  vanish  and  the  most 
serene  contentment  steals  over  the  mind  and  body. 
Every  zephyr  that  passes  seems  to  lift  and  sway  the 
victim  as  gently  and  tenderly  as  the  mother  rocks  her 
infant  in  its  downy  cradle. 


214        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Beautiful  visions  fiit  through  the  brain  like  a  pan- 
orama of  countless  paradises.  Repulsive  objects  fade 
from  view,  and  in  their  places  things  of  beauty  and 
joy  make  a  feast  for  the  eyes.  Discordant  sounds  are 
transformed  into  entrancing  harmonies.  All  objects 
:seem  lovely  and  attractive,  and  the  beggars  of  earth 
^become  kings. 

.  Then  slumber  and  rose-tinted  dreams  carry  the  vic- 
tim into  oblivion.  All  cares  are  forgotten  until  the 
effects  of  the  poison  wear  away,  and  here  will-power 
and  good  resolutions  are  swept  away.  The  awful 
craving  for  more  of  the  driig  drives  the  subject  to  a 
repetition  of  his  indiscretion,  and  this  follows  day  after 
day  until  there  is  no  escape. 

Those  who  have  been  addicted  to  the  use  of  opium 
for  many  years  do  not  always  experience  the  delight 
that  amateurs  get  out  of  it.  They  are  compelled  to 
use  it  almost  constantly  to  prevent  the  sufifering  which 
a  long-continued  indulgence  finally  produces.  Their 
systems  have  been  depleted.  -  They  are  physical 
wrecks  and  take  opium,  not  for  pleasure,  but  to  give 
them  relief  from  the  tortures  they  suffer  when  not 
under  the  influence  of  it.  Their  dreams  are  frequently 
very  different  from  the  visions  they  had  when  they 
were  in  the  early  stages  of  the  habit.  They  see  un- 
pleasant things ;  hear  disagreeable  noises ;  have  fright- 
ful nightmares;  meet  with  imaginary  disastrous  mis- 
fortunes and  horrible  accidents. 

During  the  author's  long  career  as  a  detective  he 
had  innumerable  opportunities  of  observing  the  effects 
of  the  opium  habit  and  of  making  a  thorough  investi- 
gation of  the  numerous  Chinese  opium  joints  where 
opium   is  smoked.     It  would   surprise  the  public   to 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EVILS  2l6 

know  what  a  large  number  of  people  are  opium  smok- 
trs,  and  a  full  description  of  one  of  these  places  will 
interest  the  reader. 

A  "layout"  can  be  purchased  for  any  amount  up  to 
$5.  It  consists  of  the  "yen  hop,"  or  pipe,  usually 
made  of  a  section  and  a  half  of  heavy  bamboo,  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  is  usually  tipped 
with  ivory  or  gold ;  the  "yen  she  gow,"  or  small  chisel, 
for  cleaning  out  the  bowl  of  the  pipe ;  the  "yen  hock," 
or  needle,  on  which  the  opium  is  cooked  and  rolled 
into  pills  over  the  flame  from  the  little  peanut  oil  lamp  ; 
the  "sui  gow,"  a  sponge  for  cleaning  the  bowl  of  the 
pipe  after  every  smoke;  the  "hen  toy,"  in  which  the 
opmm  is  kept,  and  a  tray  on  which  the  above  utensils 
are  placed  when  in  use. 

Smokers  can  be  found  in  all  kinds  of  recumbent 
attitudes  in  a  joint.  They  frequently  lie  with  their 
heads  on  each  other's  shoulders  in  order  that  they 
may  be  convenient  to  the  lamp.  They  take  turns  at 
smoking,  each  rolling  his  own  pill.  The  opium  is 
usually  served  on  a  "hop  toy,"  but  if  this  article  is  not 
at  hand  it  is  served  on  a  card  or  piece  of  stiff  paper. 
The  opium  must  be  cooked  to  the  proper  point  before 
it  is  smoked,  and  this  is  done  by  placing  it  on  the  end 
of  the  needle  and  holding  it  over  the  flame  of  the 
lamp.  Unless  great  care  is  taken  in  the  operation,  it 
will  take  fire  and  burn  like  powder.  When  the  pill  is 
ready  for  the  pipe,  it  is  punctured  and  placed  in  the 
center  of  the  bowl  just  over  the  small  aperture.  The 
flame  is  again  applied  and  the  smoker  begins  to  take 
in  the  fumes.  Fifteen  or  twenty  whiffs  consumes  the 
pill,  and  the  next  smoker  takes  his  turn  after  going 
through  the  same  operation.     Men  and  women  keep 


I 


216         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

this  up  continually,  new  arrivals  taking  the  places  of 
those  who  go  out,  and  there  they  spend  hours  in  a 
drowsy,  half-stupid  condition,  gabbling  on  simple  sub- 
jects and  dreaming  their  woes  away. 

These  frequenters  of  opium  joints  always  want 
company.     They  never  like  to  smoke  alone. 

Many  of  the  opium  joints  in  Chicago  are  to  be  found 
in  basements  and  are  laid  out  in  enclosed  stalls  or 
rooms,  and  are  intended  to  accommodate  from  two  to 
ten  persons.  The  bunks  are  usually  about  two  feet 
from  the  floor,  and  are  built  of  pine  boards,  over 
which  is  spread  Chinese  matting  and  a  pillow  for  the 
head  to  rest  upon.  No  covering  is  used,  for  the  room 
is  always  kept  warm  and  comfortable. 

Some  of  the  opium  joints  will  hold  from  ten  to 
sixty  people,  and  here  can  be  found  at  all  times  persons 
of  both  sexes,  black  and  white,  and  Chinese,  too. 

So  many  raids  have  been  made  on  opium  joints  that 
it  is  sometimes  difficult  to  gain  an  entrance,  unless  the 
visitor  is  known  or  can  speak  a  few  words  of  the  Chi- 
nese language. 

If  you  can  tell  the  keeper  in  the  Chinese  language 
that  you  want  25  cents'  worth  of  opium  you  will  be 
admitted  readily.  These  cabalistic  words  in  Chinese 
are,  "Gee  sip  en  kassen  fiap  en  .yen." 

This  will  soften  the  Chinaman's  heart  because  he  is 
always  anxious  to  make  money.  If  he  suspected  that 
you  were  an  officer  of  the  law,  however,  you  would 
probably  have  to  use  force  to  get  in. 

The  old  pass  word,  "en  she  qua?"  which  means,  "Do 
you  smoke  opium?"  will  not  effect  an  entrance  now 
without  some  other  ceremony.  The  keeper  will  test 
your  sincerity  and  incidentally  your  knowledge  of  the 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EVILS 


217 


Chinese  language  by  asking  who  you  are.  He  will 
say,  "Hoi  noi?"  meaning,  "Who  is  there?"  and  if  you 
can  reply,  "Offend,"  which  signifies,  "A  friend,"  he 
will  probably  open  the  door  and  tell  you  to  get  in 
quickly  by  saying,  "Fi  fi." 
.     Once   inside   of   these   places   you   would   be   com- 


THE  chinaman's  RECREATION. 


pletely  lost  without  a  guide.  In  some  of  them  you  are 
(;ompelled  to  pass  through  dark,  dingy  and  damp  hall- 
ways and  subterranean  passages.  All  the  doors  are 
barred,  but  you  finally  get  into  the  proper  place  after 
perhaps  going  down  two  or  three  flights  of  rickety 
stairs.     The  smoking  room  does  not  present  a  very  in- 


218         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

viting  appearance  to  any  one  except  regular  smokers. 
It  is  dimly  lighted,  and  there  are  usually  lying  on 
the  bunks  or  matting  ten  or  fifteen  men  and  women 
languidly  smoking  and  talking.  Some  of  the  bunks 
are  as  filthy  as  can  well  be  imagined,  yet  it  is  not  an 
unusual  sight  to  see  them  occupied  by  women  dressed 
as  elegantly  as  a  princess  and  wearing  costly  jewels. 
Men  showing  the  same  degree  of  prosperity  and  re- 
finement are  also  found  there  mixing  with  the  lower 
classes  and  often  with  thieves  and  criminals. 

Neither  is  it  an  unusual  thing  to  find  among  the 
well-dressed*  opium  smokers  members  of  some  of  the 
most  influential  and  wealthy  families  of  the  city. 

Chinamen  who  conduct  opium  joints  are  always 
ready  and  willing  to  lead  any  one,  from  a  child  to  an 
octogenarian,  into  the  habit  of  smoking. 

Detective  Wooldridge  rescued  a  young  woman  in 
Chicago  from  one  of  these  opium  joints  and  she  told 
him  a  pitiful  and  sad  tale  of  her  downfall. 

When  a  mere  child  she  lived  near  a  Chinese  laun- 
dry, and  she  was  frequently  enticed  into  the  place  and 
given  small  pieces  of  candy.  Nearly  every  day  for 
months  she  went  into  the  Mongolian's  place,  and 
finally  was  induced  to  take  a  whiff  from  the  opium 
pipe.  It  was  disagreeable  to  her  at  first,  but  the  Chi- 
naman would  refuse  to  give  her  candy  unless  she  would 
lake  a  whiff  from  the  pipe.  This  was  kept  up  for 
several  more  months  when  the  girl  began  to  want  the 
whiff  more  than  she  wanted  the  candy. 

The  Chinaman's  aims  were  accomplished  at  last. 
He  had  made  an  opium  fiend  of  the  child,  and  one  day 
when  she  went  into  the  laundry  and  asked  for  the 
pipe,  the  Chinaman  rut  bed  his  hands  in  glee  and  told 


OPiUM  AND  ITS  EVILS  219 

her  she  could  not  smoke  unless  she  paid  for  it.  She 
had  no  money,  and  begged  for  just  one  whiff  from  the 
pipe,  but  was  told  again  she  could  not  get  it  without 
the  money. 

She  went  away,  but  the  craving  for  the  drug  became 
so  strong  that  she  stole  some  money  from  her  mother, 
and  this  was  kept  up  until  she  was  a  slave  to  the  habit. 

When  she  realized  her  condition  she  was  anxious 
to  break  away,  but  it  was  then  almost  impossible. 
She  left  her  home  and  became  a  habitue  of  an  opium 
joint  on  Clark  street. 

In  a  raid  which  took  place  one  night  Detective 
Wooldridge  found  the  girl  in  this  den,  almost  stupe- 
fied with  the  drug.  When  she  found  she  was  under 
arrest,  she  begged  the  detective  to  allow  her  to  go 
home,  saying  she  could  not  stand  the  disgrace  of  be- 
ing caught  in  one  of  these  places. 

She  aroused  the  sympathies  of  the  officer,  who  gave 
her  all  the  encouragement  he  could.  He  took  her  to 
her  mother  instead  of  to  the  police  station  and  by  an 
almost  superhuman  effort  she  finally  broke  the  bonds 
which  had  so  long  held  her. 

"Smoke  not,  handle  not,"  is  the  best  advice  that 
can  be  given  on  this  subject.  This  fearful  curse  is  far 
and  away  more  fatal  than  all  the  other  evils  put  to- 
gether. It  is  emphatically  the  hardest  habit  to  get  rid 
of  when  once  formed,  and  it  is  positively  the  most 
dangerous  because  it  is  the  hardest  to  quit. 

Opium  has  ruined  many  persons  for  life,  and  it  has 
sent  more  men  and  women  to  our  jails,  workhouses, 
penitentiaries  and  scaffolds  than  even  strong  drink. 
Those  who  once  acquire  the  opium  habit  soon  become 
slaves  to  the  drug,  and  it  is  almost  impossible  for  them 


220         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  get  along  without  it.  So  true  is  this  that  we  have 
noticed  times  without  number  that  when  they  are  out 
of  the  drug  and  have  no  money  wherewith  to  purchase 
it,  when  the  habit  or  longing  for  it  comes  on  them,  they 
will  sell  or  pawn  any  article  they  have  with  which  to 
raise  money  to  buy  it.  They  have  been  known  to 
even  steal,  rob  or  commit  crime  in  order  to  get  money 
to  purchase  opium. 

Statistics  teach  us  that  about  4  per  cent,  of  those 
who  have  formed  this  awful  habit  of  smoking  opium 
have  ready  money  with  which  to  purchase  their  sup- 
plies; the  other  96  per  cent,  are  either  already  crimi- 
nals, or  are  made  so  through  the  use  of  it. 

With  them  the  opium  habit  has  been  formed,  and 
they  must  have  the  drug,  or  undergo  the  most  severe 
tortures,  and  we  often  find  that  many  of  them  smoke 
every  hour. 

People  who  are  slaves  to  the  habit  are  not  fit  for  any 
kind  of  work,  either  mental  or  physical.  They  there- 
fore must  resort  to  other  methods  by  which  to  raise 
money,  outside  of  work  and  positions  of  trust  and  re- 
spectability, and  so  we,  learn  that  ninety-six  out  of 
every  hundred  become  thieves. 

One  million  dollars'  worth  of  "opium  prepared  for 
smoking"  comes  into  our  ports  annually.  This  amount, 
considering  the  activity  of  opium  smugglers  and  the 
ease  of  carrying  tiny  packages  of  the  drug,  probably 
does  not  represent  one-half  of  the  total  amount  of  such 
opium  brought  into  our  country  each  year. 

Fifteen  years  ago  the  total  amount  of  opium,  crude, 
liquid  preparations  and  "opium  prepared  for  smoking" 
which  passed  through  our  custom  houses  was  valuet. 
at  $1,250,053.     The  amount  of  "opium  prepared  to, 


OPIUM  AND  ITS  EVILS  221 

smoking"  was  $335,383  worth.  In  1900  the  total 
amount  of  opium  imported  was  valued  at  $2,076,939 
and  $938,524  worth  of  that  was  opium  used  for  smok- 
ing. 

These  figures  show  an  increase  in  the  last  fifteen 
years  of  $326,886  in  value  of  total  import  and  an  in- 
crease of  $603,141  in  value  of  imported  opium  for 
smoking. 

So  great  has  the  demand  for  opium  grown  in  Amer- 
ica within  the  past  ten  years  that  factories  are  being 
started  in  this  country.  In  Victoria,  B.  C,  a  really 
deceptive  imitation  of  "Li  Une"  is  made.  The  crude 
opium  is  soaked,  boiled  and  strained  over  and  over 
again  to  an  extract,  then  flavored  with  orange  peel  and 
brandy.  This  deceives  the  novice  by  removing  or 
doing  away  with  that  deadly  smell  which  is  a  distin- 
guishing feature  of  the  product  of  the  American  opium 
factory.  Thousands  of  pounds  of  opium  are  sent 
across  the  Canadian  border  daily,  there  being  but  one 
revenue  officer  to  every  hundred  miles,  and  the  China- 
men rarely  look  him  up. 

At  El  Paso,  Texas,  also  much  smuggling  is  done. 
Mexico  guards  her  border  with  hundreds  of  men  to  the 
mile,  if  necessary,  but  America  is  content  with  the  one 
lone  rifleman  who  stands  on  the  international  bridge, 
spending  his  time  looking  five  miles  up  and  five  miles 
down  stream  for  smugglers,  who  cross  the  river  in 
summer  without  getting  their  feet  wet.  At  night  the 
Chinamen  cross  the  river  in  droves.  Dressed  as  Span- 
iards they  easily  elude  detectives,  and  are  shipped  in 
box  cars  to  some  underground  laundry  in  Chicago  or 
New  York.    Reg'istration  tickets  count  little  with  them, 


222         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

as  it  takes  an  expert  to  tell  the  photograph  of  one 
Chinaman  from  another  and  tickets  are  easily  bor- 
rowed. In  all  large  cities  there  are  Chinese  compa- 
nies which  send  out  their  countrymen  to  smaller  towns 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the  pipe.  These  com- 
panies, in  turn,  are  sent  out  by  the  Six  Companies  of 
Canton. 

The  Six  Companies  control  the  opium  trade,  and 
every  Chinaman  who  wishes  to  come  to  America  is 
smuggled  in  by  the  Six  Companies.  Once  here,  he  is 
compelled  to  purchase  his  opium  and  other  necessities 
from  the  agencies  of  the  company  which  sends  him 
out,  and  woe  betide  the  luckless  Chinaman  who  goes 
back  on  his  contract,  for  the  Highbinders  reign  as  su- 
preme in  America  as  they  do  in  their  own  native  land. 

At  the  end  of  six  years  John  Chinaman  sells  out  his 
laundry  and  opium  joint,  for  which  the  laundry  is  a 
blind,  the  Six  Companies  advertise  in  their  paper, 
printed  in  San  Francisco,  that  he  is  about  to  return  to 
China,  and  so  notify  all  creditors.  If  John  Chinaman 
has  contracted  no  debts,  his  savings  deposited  with 
the  Six  Companies  are  returned  to  him,  minus  the  $80 
which  it  cost  him  to  smuggle  him  into  the  country. 

In  1895  and  1896,  George  B.  Swift,  then  Mayor  of 
Chicago,  and  John  J.  Badenoch,  then  Chief  of  Police, 
declared  war  upon  these  dens  of  iniquity,  crime  and 
debauchery.  This  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  classes 
of  police  work  ever  instituted  and  carried  on  in  Chi- 
cago, and  brought  forth  better  results.  Most  all  the 
opium  joints  in  the  city  were  closed,  and  over  $10,000 
worth  of  opium  and  pipes  were  seized  and  ordered  de- 
stroyed by  the  court. 


I 

INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  22? 


INTERESTED   THE  WHOLE  WORLD. 

THREE      MEN     ARRESTED      WHO     FOUGHT     EXTRADITION — 
TRAGEDIES  AT  THE  TRIAL. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  criminal  cases  with 
which  the  poHce  of  any  city  in  the  world  have  been 
connected  and  which  through  its  ramifications  be- 
came a  question  of  international  importance,  and  went 
from  the  police  court  to  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioner, thente  to  the  District  Federal  Court,  and  on 
to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  finally 
to  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  is  one  which  Detective 
Wooldridge  and  his  assistants  made  possible  by  the 
arrest  of  three  men  said  to  be  the  most  dangerous 
bank  robbers  in  the  country,  and  whose  trial  in  Can- 
ada, in  June,  1901,  was  attended  with  many  tragedies, 
resulting  in  the  death  of  two  of  the  robbers  and  the 
killing  of  an  officer. 

The  case  first  came  before  the  public  in  May,  1900, 
and  for  a  period  of  nearly  twelve  months  following  it 
occupied  the  attention  of  the  press  and  of  the  foreign 
consuls  in  the  United  States  because  of  the  fact  that 
extradition  was  demanded  by  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
of  three  men  who  were  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
The  final  decision  of  the  important  question  was  made 
on  February  25,  1901,  and  it  established  a  precedent 
which  will  have  an  important  bearing  on  all  similar 
cases  which  may  engage  the  attention  of  the  courts  in 
the  future,  or  at  least  until  there  is  a  change  in  the 
existing  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  case  in  question  was  brought  about  by  the  ar- 
rest on  June  i,  1900,  at  the  Ashland  apartment  build- 


224         HANDS  UP^  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

ing,  131  Ashland  avenue,  of  Fred  Lee  Rice,  Frank  Rut- 
ledge  and  Thomas  Jones,  upon  a  request  from  Chiet 
of  Police  Grassette,  of  Toronto,  to  Chief  of  Police 
Kipley. 

The  following  is  the  telegram  received  by  Chief  of 
Police  Kipley  from  the  Toronto  official.  May  23,  1900: 

"Look  out  for  and  arrest  four  men — Fred  L.  Rice, 
Frank  Rutledge,  Thos.  Jones — the  fourth  man's  name 
is  unknown.  On  the  morning  of  May  3,  1900,  they 
robbed  the  postoffice  and  bank  at  Aurora,  some  thirty 
miles  from  Toronto,  securing  $700  in  currency,  $200 
worth  of  stamps,  and  a  large  assortment  of  mining 
stocks,  and  they  made  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to 
blow  up  the  safe  of  the  bank  of  Toronto.  After  as- 
saulting and  nearly  killing  a  police  officer,  and  steal- 
ing a  horse  and  wagon,  they  drove  to  another  town, 
where  their  baggage  was  shipped  by  their  friend!.>  to 
452  Austin  avenue,  Chicago." 

Chief  Kipley  at  once  realized  that  he  had  an  impor- 
tant case  on  hand,  and  called  in  Detective  Wooldridge 
and  placed  him  in  charge  of  it,  giving  him  all  the  in- 
formation he  possessed. 

Later  in  the  day  a  minute  description  of  the  men 
and  of  the  baggage  was  received.  Wooldridge  was 
given  a  detail  of  assistants  and  at  once  placed  four 
men  on  duty  around  the  house  at  452  Austin  avenue 
with  instructions  to  watch  for  the  baggage  and  arrest 
the  fugitives  if  they  put  in  an  appearance. 

All  the  railroad  trains  from  the  east  were  carefully 
watched  by  a  corps  of  officers  for  the  purpose  of  inter- 
cepting the  robbers,  in  case  they  had  not  already  ar- 
rived in  the  city,  or  of  getting  the  baggage  if  it  had  not 
already  been  received. 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  225 

Wooldridge  then  went  to  the  offices  of  all  of  the  ex- 
press companies  in  Chicago  and  secured  the  assistance 
of  the  superintendents  of  each  in  locating  and  detain- 
ing the  baggage  in  the  event  it  should  be  shipped  by 
express,  which  was  most  likely. 

In  a  day  or  two  Wooldridge  was  notified  thai,  the 
baggage  had  arrived  at  the  Dearborn  street  station 
over  the  Wabash  road.  Two  detectives  were  then 
stationed  on  the  inside  of  the  depot  and  two  on  the 
outside  with  bicycles  on  which  they  might  follow  any 
one  who  called  for  the  baggage,  which  consisted  of 
three  valises.  It  was  not  supposed  that  either  of  the 
owners  of  the  baggage  would  call  in  person  for  it, 
but  that  it  would  be  sent  for  and  taken  to  the  rooms 
of  the  fugitives. 

In  the  meantime  information  was  received  by  one 
of  the  officers  on  guard  at  the  Austin  avenue  house 
that  three  of  the  men  he  was  seeking  were  at  that  place 
on  the  evening  of  May  24. 

Wooldridge  got  his  forces  ready  and  told  them  to 
report  at  three  o'clock  the  following  morning.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  those  who  answered  the 
roll-call.  William  Schubert,  W.  H.  McGrath,  J.  J. 
Sullivan,  M.  F.  Farelly,  Tim  De  Roche,  Joseph  Du- 
bach,  Charles  Niggermeyer,  J.  O'Hara,  William  Tay- 
lor, P.  J.  Fitzgerald,  Ed.  Burns  and  Ter  Issian. 

.Wooldridge  and  all  his  associates  realized  that  the 
men  wanted  were  dangerous  and  desperate  criminals 
and  that  their  capture  would  probably  expose  every 
one  to  great  peril.  It  was  expected  they  would  make 
a  strong  resistance,  and  even  die  before  submitting  to 
arrest. 

The  Austin  avenue  house  was  a  two-story  structure, 


226         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

the  ground  floor  being  occupied  by  a  saloon.  The  liv- 
ing 'apartments  above  were  reached  by  a  long  flight 
of  stairs  which  ran  up  from  the  side,  near  the  center. 
It  was  by  means  of  this  stairway  that  entrance  must  be 
gained  to  the  rooms  above ;  peaceably  if  possible,  by 
forca  if  necessary. 

Some  of  the  men  protested  against  invading  the 
house  in  this  way  because  of  the  splendid  chance  of 
getting  shot  from  above. 

Detective  Wooldridge  then  stepped  forward  and 
said  he  would  not  ask  any  man  to  go  where  he  was 
unwilling  to  go,  declaring  he  would  lead. 

Detectives  Schubert,  Sullivan^  McGrath  and  Dubach 
joined  him,  and  the  others  surrounded  the  house.     An' 
entrance  was  made  easily  enough,  but  when  the  offi- 
cers got  inside,  they  found  that  the  game  had  flown. 

Many  clews  were  taken  up  after  this  and  followed 
persistently  and  relentlessly,  but  nothing  came  of  theni, 
and  the.  detectives  met  only  disappointment.  But 
Wooldridge  was  never  discouraged  or  downcast  on 
account  of  a  failure.  He  never  lagged  in  his  efforts 
to  locate  and  capture  the  safe-blowers.  He  kept  up  - 
the  chase  vigorously,  and  on  May  31  it  was  discovered 
than  an  expressman  had  carried  the  trunks  of  Fred 
Lee  Rice  and  Frank  Rutledge  from  1355  Michigan 
avenue,  where  they  formerly  had  apartments,  to  an- 
other place,  and  then  a  search  was  made  for  the  loca- 
tion of  their  new  quarters. 

Nearly  every  driver  of  an  express  wagon  on  the 
south  side  was  found  by  Wooldridge  and  closely  ques- 
tioned about  these  trunks.  The  search  seemed  fruit- 
less, but  there  was  one  driver  he  had  not  seen.  Offi- 
cer McGrath  found  the  man  at  ti  o'clock  at  night,  and 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  227 

by  the  free  use  of  money  got  the  desired  informa- 
tion. He  was  told  by  this  driver  that  the  trunks  were 
taken  to  131  Ashland  avenue,  and  finally  accompanied 
McGrath  to  the  place,  which  was  the  Ashland  apart- 
ment building,  located  in  one  of  the  most  aristocratic 
and  fashionable  residence  districts  of  Chicago. 

On  June  i  Detectives  Schubert,  McGrath,  Sullivan, 
Dubach,  Burns  and  Fitzgerald  were  sent  in  a  body  to 
get  the  men  if  possible.  They  waited  until  late  at 
night  in  order  to  find  the  robbers  in  their  rooms  asleep. 

The  house  was  kept  by  Mrs.  A.  D.  Harling,  who  was 
awakened  and  told  that  she  had  some  safe-blowers  for 
guests.  She  readily  admitted  that  the  men  named 
by  the  detectives  were  there,  and  conducted  them  to 
their  rooms.  Here  a  whispered  conversation  was  held. 
The  officers  knew  they  were  going  to  have  trouble  in 
making  the  arrests  if  the  robbers  were  given  a  single 
opportunity  to  defend  themselves  or  resist.  It  was  a 
desperate  undertaking  and  required  great  judgment 
and  nerve. 

While  they  were  whispering  with  Mrs.  Harling  in 
the  hall,  they  were  overheard  by  Fred  Lee  Rice.  He 
opened  the  door,  evidently  expecting  that  some  of  his 
"pals"  who  were  out  had  just  returned.  The  officers 
saw  him  as  he  looked  out  into  the  hall  and  made  a 
rush  at  him.  He  was  knocked  heels  over  head  in  a 
corner  of  the  room  and  his  revolver  and  belt  of  cart- 
ridges removed  before  he  had  time  to  recover. 

Rutledge  and  Jones,  the  other  two  robbers,  were 
asleep  in  one  bed,  and  near  each  was  lying  a  huge 
revolver,  loaded  and  ready  for  use,  and  two  boxes  of 
cartridges.  The  sudden  and  quick  work  of  the  offi- 
cers prevented  them   from  using  their  guns.     There 


228         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

is  little  possibility  that  they  would  ever  have  been 
taken  alive  if  they  had  gotten  an  opportunity  to  re- 
sist the  officers.  The  detectives  seized  the  revolvers, 
then  quickly  covered  the  robbers  with  their  own  re- 
volvers and  effected  their  arrest  with  neatness  and 
dispatch. 

It  was  fortunate  that  Rice  was  expecting  the  fourth 
man  in  and  opened  the  door.  If  the  officers  had  been 
compelled  to  break  into  the  room  or  to  arouse  the  men, 
some  of  them  would  undoubtedly  be  now  sleeping  un- 
der the  willow  trees  of  a  cemetery. 

The  robbers  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion, where  their  pictures  were  taken  for  the  rogues' 
gallery.  From  there  they  were  taken  to  the  Des- 
plaines  Street  Station. 

Knowing  full  well  that  his  prisoners  were  shrewd 
criminals  and  men  who  would  use  all  the  resources  at 
their  command  to  get  out  of  the  clutches  of  the  po- 
lice, Detective  Wooldridge  adopted  a  plan  which  was 
really  the  most  important  move  taken  in  the  whole 
case.  On  June  2  he  went  before  United  States  Com- 
missioner Mark  A.  Foote  and  secured  on  belief  and  in- 
formation a  fugitive  warrant,  which  he  placed  in  the 
hands  of  United  States  Marshal  George  Allen.  The 
three  prisoners  were  then  released  by  the  police,  but 
before  they  could  leave  the  station,  they  were  arrested 
by  the  United  States  Marshal. 

They  were  taken  before  the  commissioner  for  a 
hearing  and  the  case  continued  from  time  to  time  un- 
til July  IQ. 

The  prisoners  employed  S.  H.  Trude,  and^  then  be- 
gan a  desperate  fight  to  resist  extradition  to  Canada. 
The   Canadian    Government,  by  William  Wyndham, 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  ?29 

the  British  consul,  had  made  application  for  extradi- 
tion. Attorney  Lynden  Evans  represented  the  consul 
at  a  hearing  before  the  United  States  commissioner, 
who  held  the  prisoners  and  recommended  that  Presi- 
dent McKinley  issue  the  extradition  warrant. 

Then  the  prisoners  applied  for  a  writ  of  habeas  cor- 
pus before  Judge  Kohlsaat.  This  stayed  the  Presi- 
dent's warrant.  After  a  hearing  Judge  Kohlsaat  dis- 
missed the  writ.  From  this  decision  an  appeal  was 
taken  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  This 
highest  court  affirmed  the  decision  of  Judge  Kohlsaat, 
denying  the  writ. 

The  case  attracted  widespread  notice  among  the 
lawyers  and  students  of  constitutional  rights.  The 
points  brought  up  in  their  attempt  to  resist  extradition 
were  numerous,  the  four  important  ones  being: 

1.  It  was  claimed  that  all  United  States  citizens 
were  eititled  to  bail,  and  this  was  denied  the  prisoners 
below.     The  Supreme  Court  approved  the  denial. 

2.  It  was  claimed  that  the  treaty  with  Great  Brit- 
ain on  extradition  and  acts  of  congress  on  extradition 
are  unconstitutional  because  they  do  not  guarantee  jury 
trial  to  the  prisoners  deported  as  would  be  their  right 
in  the  United  States.  This  claim  the  Supreme  Court 
disapproved. 

3.  It  was  claimed  the  treaty  on  extradition  contra- 
venes the   Illinois   Constitution  in  the  above  points. 

4.  It  was  claimed  that  the  words  ''surrendering 
state"  used  in  the  treaty  referred  in  this  case  to  Illi- 
nois and  not  to  the  United  States. 

The  further  contention  was  made  that  the  commis- 
sioner who  heard  the  cases  had  received  them  on  in- 
formation  an^  belief,   and    that   the   proceeding   was 


230    •      HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

not  justifiable  in  an  extradition  case.-  Regarding  the 
point,  Justice  Brown  said :  "If  the  officer  of  the  for- 
eign government  has  no  personal  knowledge  of  the 
facts,  he  may  with  entire  propriety  make  a  complaint 
upon  information  and  belief,  stating  the  sources  of  his 
information  and  the  grounds  of  his  belief,  and  annex- 
ing to  the  complaint  a  properly  certified  copy  of  any 
indictment  or  equivalent  proceedings  which  may  be 
found  in  the  foreign  court  or  a  copy  of  the  depositions 
of  witnesses  having  actual  knowledge  of  the  facts." 

That  ended  the  fight  against  extradition.  In  due 
course  the  court's  mandate  reached  Chicago  and  the 
prisoners  were  taken  to  Canada.  Their  first  trial  be- 
gan in  Toronto  on  May  20.  This  was  on  a  charge  of 
robbing  the  bank  at  Aurora.  By  the  use  of  money 
friends  of  the  prisoners  succeeded  in  getting  enough 
men  on  the  jury  who  were  favorable  to  the  defendants, 
to  prevent  an  agreement  as  to  a  verdict  and  this  jury 
was  discharged,  the  robbers  getting  another  trial. 

This  was  begun  on  May  2'].  Defendants  had  en^ 
tered  a  plea  of  guilty  on  four  minor  charges,  that  of 
attempting  to  rob  the  Standard  Bank  of  Toronto,  rob- 
bing the  postoffice  at  Aurora,  horse  stealing  and  steal- 
ing a  revolver  from  an  officer. 

Detectives  Schubert  and  McGrath  of  Chicago  were 
summoned  to  Toronto  as  witnesses  to  testify  as  to 
the  contents  found  in  the  trunks  when  the  men  were 
arrested  on  Ashland  avenue.  The  second  trial  pro- 
gressed rapidly,  and  on  June  4,  when  the  case  was 
nearing  an  end  and  the  prisoners  saw  conviction  star- 
ing them  in  the  face,  they  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
escape,  whfch  resulted  in  the  death  of  two  of  them 
and  an  officer  who  had  them  in  charge. 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  231 

Late  that  afternoon  they  were  handcuffed  together 
and  placed  in  a  carriage  to  be  taken  to  jail.  Jones, 
who  was  considered  the  most  desperate  man  of  the 
three,  had  handcuffs  on  both  wrists,  while  Rice,  who  is 
left-handed,  was  placed  on  his  right,  and  Rutledge  on 
his  left.  This  put  both  of  Jones'  hands  out  of  use 
and  left  Rutledge  with  the  use  of  his  left  hand  only, 
and  Rice  with  his  right  hand. 

This  precaution  was  taken  because  the  officers  sus- 
,pected  that  a  plot  had  been  formed  to  rescue  the  pris- 
''t)ners.  They  were  placed  on  the  rear  seat  of  the  car- 
riage, while  Constables  Boyd  and  Stewart  sat  oppo- 
site them  on  the  front  seat.  Another  constable,  Bo- 
gart,  took  a  seat  on  the  box  with  the  driver,  and  the 
carriage  started  for  the  jail.  When  it  reached  the 
corner  of  Sumach  an4  Gerrard  streets,  a  young  wo- 
man dressed  in  man's  clothing  rushed  to  the  side  of 
the  vehicle  and  threw  a  hat  into  the  laps  of  the  pris- 
oners. Instantly  the  two  free  hands  belonging  to 
Rutledge  and  Rice  plunged  into  the  hat  and  drew  out 
two  large  revolvers. 

Quick  as  a  flash  Rice  fired,  and  Constable  Boyd, 
who  had  started  to  seize  him,  fell  back  dying.  Con- 
stable Stewart,  who  was  the  only  one  of  the  three  of- 
ficers that  had  a  revolver,  reached  back  for  his  weapon, 
but  Rice  pushed  his  gun  into  his  face  and  he  remained 
quiet,  telling  them  to  get  out  of  the  carriage. 

The  horses  then  stopped  and  the  three  men  sprang 
out,  Rutledge  first,  dragging  the  others  behind  them. 
After  leaving  the  .carriage  they  fired  into  it  several 
times  while  running  away.  Constable  Stewart  re- 
turned the  fire  and  shot  Jones  in  the  arm,  shattering 
the  bone. 


232         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Then  he  jumped  from  the  carriage  and  fired  again, 
the  second  shot  striking  Jones  in  the  groin.  An  elec- 
tric street  car  which  the  carriage  had  passed  was  ap- 
proaching, and  Jones,  who  was  so  badly  hurt  that  he 
could  scarcely  walk,  was  dragged  by  his  companions 
onto  the  front  platform  of  the  car,  which  had  stopped 
on  account  of  the  shooting.  Then  followed  a  desper- 
ate fight  for  possession  of  the  car.  Constable  Bogart 
had  jumped  off  the  box  seat  of  the  vehicle,  and  al- 
though unarmed,  was  making  his  way  towards  the 
car.     The  prisoners  fired  at  him  and  missed. 

Stewart  rushed  bravely  in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  men, 
firing  as  he  went.  He  had  emptied  his  own  revolver 
when  he  reached  the  car,  and'threw  himself  on  Rice 
and  Rutledge  and  wrenched  their  revolvers  from  them. 
Then  he  beat  them  over  their  heads  until  they  gave  up. 
They  were  bleeding  freely  from  scalp  wounds,  and  by 
this  time  were  exhausted  and  unable  to  offer  further 
resistance. 

The  motorman  held  on  to  the  motor  crank  and  the 
conductor  pulled  the  trolley  ofif  the  feed  wire  during 
the  struggle,  to  prevent  the  robbers  from  starting  the 
car  in  case  they  had  gotten  possession  of  the  crank, 
which  was  their  intention. 

Jones  'was  in  great  agony  and  cried  out  to  the  offi- 
cers to  take  the  handcuffs  oflf  his  wrists.  The  bone  in 
the  arm  had  been  shattered  by  the  bullet  fired  by 
Stewart,  and  in  the  hand-to-hand  struggle  the  arm 
had  been  twisted  out  of  shape.  With  the  three  pris- 
oners lying  almost  in  a  heap  on  the  floor  in  the  car 
and  the  officers  standing  over  them,  the  current  was 
turned  on  and  they  were  conveyed  to  the  jail.  Upon 
their  arrival  there  the  jail  physician  assisted  by  two 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  233 

Other  medical  men  attended  them.  They  found  that 
Jones  was  mortally  wounded,  but  they  made  him  as 
comfortable  as  possible,  and  he  soon  went  to  sleep 
under  the  influence  of  opiates. 

They  dressed  the  wounds  which  Rice  had  received 
on  his  head,  and  also  the  scalp  wounds  which  Rutledge 
bore.  Rice  was  quite  calm  and  told  the  surgeon  to  be 
sure  and  remove  all  the  blood  from  his  hair. 

Constable  Boyd  was  driven  to  the  hospital  in  the 
carriage  in  which  he  was  shot,  but  never  recovered 
consciousness  and  died  a  few  hours  afterwards. 

If  the  prisoners  had  not  lost  their  heads  when  they 
first  got  possession  of  the  pistols  in  the  carriage  they 
could  easily  have,  escaped.  They  had  shot  and  mor- 
tally wounded  Constable  Boyd,  who  was  a  gray- 
haired  man,  sixty  years  old.  The  only  other  consta- 
ble who  had  a  revolver  was  Stewart,  and  Rice  and 
Rutledge  had  him  covered  with  their  guns.  In  his 
pockets  were  the  keys  which  unlocked  the  handcufifs. 
They  could  easily  have  gotten  these  and  also  Stewart's 
gun,  then  released  themselves  from  the  handcuffs  and 
have  been  masters  of  the  situation.  They  then,  could 
have  made  their  escape  in  the  carriage  which  was  taking 
them  to  jail. 

But  in  the  excitement  they  overlooked  the  opportun- 
ity. It  was  a  fatal  mistake  for  them  and  one  which 
greatly  surprised  the  officers.  It  was  astonishing 
that  three  as  shrewd  and  desperate  men  as  Rice,  Rut- 
ledge and  Jones  were  could  lose  their  heads  in  such  a 
crisis  as  this,  and  it  caused  a  great  deal  of  comment 
in  police  circles. 

The  prosecution  decided  that  the  trial  should  pro- 
ceed against  Rice  and  Rutledge  whether  Jones  was 


THE  ATTEMPT  TO  SQCABB.  iH  TORONTO 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  235 

present  or  not.  The  shooting  took  place  on  Tuesday 
and  Jones  died  on  Wednesday  morning.  The  trial 
proceeded,  and  on  Friday,  June  7,  the  jury  returned  a 
verdict  of  guilty  against  the  prisoners,  and  they  were 
sentenced  to  twenty-one  years  each  in  the  peniten- 
tiary. When  they  were  arraigned  to  receive  sen- 
tence, the  judge  said  to  them : 

"Have  you  anything  to  say  why  the  sentences 
should  not  be  passed  upon  you?"  They  stood  quietly, 
never  removing  their  eyes  from  the  judge's  face.  Rut- 
ledge's  hands  rested  on  the  railing  in  front  of  him, 
while  Rice  stood  erect  with  his  arms  crossed  over  his 
breast.  They  never  flinched  and  did  not  move  a 
muscle  while  the  heavy  sentence  was  being  pro- 
nounced. 

In  answer  to  the  judge's  question.  Rice  simply  shook 
his  head,  while  Rutledge  replied,  "Nothing,  nothing." 
Then  the  sentence  was  delivered  as  follows : 

"This  is  a  peaceable  country,  but  you  came  here 
bent  upon  a  career  of  crime.  You  have  followed  your 
unlawful  purposes  by  committing  three  serious  of- 
fenses against  the  law.  The  country  has  enough  of 
trouble  and  expense  ^o  take  care  of  its  own  criminals 
and  cannot  do  anything  to  encourage  criminals  from 
foreign  countries,  to  come  here  and  pursue  their  depre- 
dations. The  sentence  of  the  court  upon  you,  Frank*' 
Rutledge,  and  upon  you,  Fred  Lee  Rice,  is  that  each  of 
you  be  confined  in  the  Kingston  penitentiary  for  the 
term  of  fourteen  years  for  the  robbery  of  the  bank, 
and  seven  years  for  stealing  the  horse,  cart  and  har- 
ness ;  the  seven  years  to  be  consecutive  with  the  four- 
teen years ;  for  the  robbery  of  the  postoffice,  seven 
years   to   be    concurrent   with    the    stealing   "sentence, 


236         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRiMfe 

making  for  each  of  you  a  sentence  of  twenty-one 
years." 

Deathly  pale,  but  as  calm  apparently  as  if  they  had 
not  faced  the  court,  they  were  taken  to  the  jail  and 
consigned  to  their  cells.  Soon  after  dinner  they  were 
taken  to  the  corridor  on  the  first  floor  for  exercise  and 
air.  After  walking  for  a  short  time,  Rutledge  dashed 
away  from  his  guard,  up  the  stairway  to  the  second- 
story  balcony.  It  was  thought  that  he  intended  to 
make  an  effort  to  escape  through  the  ventilator,  but 
he  was  met  by  guards  and  turned  back.  With  a  de- 
fiant look  he  backed  toward  the  railing  which  sur- 
rounded the  balcony,  and  straightening  himself  up, 
leaped  backward  over  the  railing  and  fell  to  the  stone- 
paved  floor  thirty-six  feet  below,  striking  on  his  head 
and  crushing  his  skull.  When  the  guard  reached  him 
he  was  unconscious  and  died  in  half  an  hour  without 
speaking. 

This  left  only  one  of  the  three  safe-blowers,  Fred 
Lee  Rice,  and  he  had  become  a  murderer,  as  Consta- 
ble Stewart  swore  that  it  was  Rice  who  shot  and 
killed  Constable  Boyd.  The  next  day  Rice  was  ar- 
raigned on  a  charge  of  murder  and  the  case  was  post- 
poned until  September.  In  the  meantime  the  sen- 
tence of  tweoty-one  years  in  prison  hung  over  him. 

Rutledge  first  came  into  prominence  in  the  cities  of 
Kingston,  Hamilton,  Brantford  and  Montreal,  Can- 
ada. He  was  a  burglar  and  a  particularly  daring  one. 
He  seemed  to  have  great  success  in  getting  away  with 
the  results  of  his  plundering,  and  until  June  15,  1889, 
he  was  never  brought  into  custody  with  a  definite 
charge  against  him.     On  that  day  he  was  arrested  for 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  237 

burglary,  and  after  a  trial  at   Kingston,   was   found 
guilty  and  sentenced  to  five  years  in  the  penitentiary. 

Rutledge  remained  in  prison  until  late  in  1894,  or 
early  in  1895.  On  gaining  his  freedom  he  visited  Col- 
orado, and  while  in  that  state  was  arrested  for  lar- 
ceny, convicted,  and  in  November,  1895,  was  given  a 
six  years'  sentence  and  ordered  confined  at  Canon 
City.  He  entered  that  city  a  desperate  man,  a  crimi- 
nal posted  in  all  the  technique  of  his  vocation. 

He  not  only  knew  how  to  live  well  without  labor 
when  not  in  prison,  but  how,  after  being  confined,  to 
hold  free  conversations  with  his  fellow  convicts  with- 
out being  detected  by  a  warden  or  guard.  This  latter 
ability  is  what  brought  him  in  contact  with  Jones. 
Jones  graduated  from  the  Chicago  circle  of  thieves 
prominent  in  the  city  between  1892  and  1893.  The 
World's  Fair  brought  many  of  them  in,  and  Jones  did 
so  well  in  their  company  that  he  became  bold. 

On  March  20,  1893,  in  company  with  "Jack"  Mur- 
phy, he  held  up  one  John  Howe  of  2810  Ninety-third 
street.  Jones  and  Murphy  were  both  armed  and  fired 
shots  at  Howe.  They  took  his  watch  and  chain,  but 
were  captured  by  Officers  Brown  and  Peters,  locked 
up  in  the  county  jail,  kept  thfere  several  months,  and 
then  tried  and  acquitted.  The  county  official  and  po- 
lice official  who  aided  them  in  escaping  punishment 
are  still  living.  Jones  is  supposed  to  have  paid  $5,000 
for  his  freedom  at  this  time. 

On  July  4,  1893,  Jones,  with  "Ji"^"  Kavanagh,  held 
up  Sylvester  Johnson  of  7944  Ontario  avenue,  and  stole 
his  watch,  chain  and  some  money.  The  same  day  they 
entered  the  Collins  home  on  Ontario  avenue,  near 
Eighteenth  street,  and  choked  Collins,  but  did  not  rob 


?38         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

him.  But  on  July  6  they  returned  to  the  same  house 
with  burglars'  tools  and  were  captured  by  Officer  Robin- 
son while  in  the  act  of  robbing  the  house. 

The  case  against  them  was  finally  stricken  off  the 
calendar,  and  they  were  never  tried,  but  it  is  said  to 
have  cost  Jones  another  $5,000  to  "fix"  certain  offi- 
cials so  that  he  might  have  his  freedom. 

Jones  now  found  Chicago  uncomfortable  for  him,  so 
he  journeyed  to  Colorado  and  allied  himself  with  the 
Indian  gang  in  Pueblo.  On  December  17,  1893,  he 
was  arrested  for  safe-blowing,  and  on  March  23,  1894. 
was  sentenced  to  nine  years  in  the  penitentiary  at 
Canon  City.  There  he  met  Rutledge,  and  in  convict 
fashion,  they  held  many  conversations  together  and 
formed  an  alliance  for  operation  in  the  days  to  come 
when  they  should  have  freedom. 

While  they  were  so  planning  there  arrived  at  the 
Colorado  penitentiary  Fred  Lee  Rice,  alias  Harris. 
He  was  sentenced  on  September  27,  1897,  for  forgery, 
and  had  a  three  years'  term  to  serve.  He  was  only 
iwenty-one  years  old  then,  but  bold  and  eager  for 
criminal .  adventure.  Rutledge  and  Jones  took  him 
into  their  prison  brotherhood,  and  he  swore  fidelity 
to  them,  when  they  all  should  have  their  freedom 
again.  Between  October,  1899,  and  April,  1900,  the 
trio  came  out  of  Canon  City  penitentiary  free  men. 

As  each  man  gained  his  discharge  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago until  the  trio  were  together  and  were  joined  by 
Frank  Stewart,  alias  Gannon.  Gannon  took  agree- 
ably to  Rutledge  and  Rice,  and  the  four  took  rooms 
on  Ashland  avenue,  where  all  but  Gannon  passed  as 
artists,  photographers  and  literary  gentlemen. 

During  the  year  of  1900  Gannon  was  killed.     He 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  289 

e-ntered  the  Ga'rfield  Park  pavilion  at  Hamlin  avenue 
and  West  Madison  street,  and  in  an  attempt  to  hold 
up  the  bartender  and  Frank  Barum,  an  attorney,  w^as 
shot  dead.  This  greatly  affected  Jones,  and,  taking 
Rice  and  Rutledge  with  him,  he  temporarily  aban- 
doned Chicago  and  sought  the  East.  Rutledge  per- 
suaded him  to  visit  Canada  with  him,  and  the  trio 
entered  Ontario.  Among  the  other  places,  they  vis- 
ited the  town  of  Aurora  and  robbed  the  bank  there, 
made  their  escape  to  this  country  and  immediately  re- 
turned to  Chicago. 

One  very  interesting  chapter  in  the  lives  of  Rutledge 
and  Jones  is  furnished  in  their  attempt  in  May,  1900,  , 
to  rob  the  Standard  Bank  in  Toronto.  At  two  o'clock 
one  morning  Officer  Wood,  of  the  Toronto  police 
force,  saw  two  men  standing  at  the  rear  of  the  bank 
on  Elmwood  Grove  avenue.  He  approached  the  men 
and  asked  them  what  they  were  doing  there  at  that 
hour. 

Before  he  got  a  reply  a  revolver  was  placed  against 
the  back  of  his  head  by  a  third  man,  and  he  was  or- 
dered to  throw  up  his  hands.  He  saw  that  it  would  be 
folly  to  resist  and  promptly  obeyed  the  command. 
The  men  then  took  the  officer's  revolver  and  bound 
his  hands  with  a  piece  of  wire.  He  was  then  taken 
across  the  street  to  a  stable,  where  one  man  stood 
guard  over  him,  while  the  other  two  forced  an  en- 
trance to  the  bank  and  were  preparing  to  blow  open 
the  safe,  but  were  frightened  away  before  they  had 
accomplished  their  purpose. 

After  the  arrest  of  Rice,  Rutledge  and  Jones  and 
their  removal  to  Toronto,  the  first  two  were  identified 
by  Officer  Wood  as  the  men  he  saw  trying  to  rob  the  ' 
Standard  Bank. 


240         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

There  is  a  romantic  side  to  this  story  which  is  as 
interesting  as  the  criminal  side  of  it.  Rice,  Rutledge 
and  Jones  were  well  educated  ryen  and  had  many  ac- 
complishments beside  those  of  safe-blowing  and  rob- 
bery. Rice  is  a  native  of  Champaign,  Illinois,  his 
father  being  a  wealthy  and  highly  respected  farmer 
living  near  that  place  and  a  heavy  stockholder  in  one 
of  the  local  banks.  Young  Rice  was  at  one  time  a 
clerk,  in  this  bank. 

Before  this  he  was  a  student  of  the  University  of 
Illinois  and  a  prominent  fraternity  man.  He  left  his 
native  town  in  1897,  and  has  been  there  only  once 
'  since  on  a  short  visit.  Rutledge  was  an  artist  and  a 
poet.  He  could  paint,  and  painted  well.  Jones  made 
nearly  as  good  an  impression  as  the  other  two  men, 
although  to  the  trained  eye  he  would  be  more  quickly 
suspected  of  being  a  criminal  than  either.  They  had 
many  well-known  business  men  in  Chicago  for  ac- 
quaintances. 

All  three  of  them  dressed  expensively.  They  wore 
the  most  fashionable  tailor-made  clothes  and  adorned 
themselves  with  fine  and  expensive  jewelry.  They 
rode  in  automobiles,  gave  swell  dinners  to  their  friends 
and  spent  money  with  a  lavish  hand.  They  rented 
rooms  on  Michigan  avenue,  where  they  furnished  an 
atelier  in  luxurious  style  and  set  themselves  up  as 
artists.  They  then  advertised  for  models,  and  by  this 
means  became  acquainted  with  Myrtle  Norrie  and 
Martha  Dwyer. 

The  former  lived  with  her  parents  on  Forty-second 
court  and  was  employed  at  that  time  by  the  Siemans 
&  Halske  Electric  Co.  Martha  Dwyer  lived  at  324 
Morgan  street  and  was  an  operator  in  the  main  office 


I 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  241 

of  the  Chicago  Telephone  company.  Both  were  at- 
tractive and  handsome  young  women.  They  visited 
the  ^tudio  of  Rice,  Rutledge  and  Jones  and  posed  for 
Rutledge,  who  made  hundreds  of  drawings  that  would 
do  credit  to  a  professional  in  that  line.  Rutledge  and 
Rice  became  very  devoted  to  the  young  women  and 
soon  won  their  hearts  by  buying  for  them  many  val- 
uable presents  of  jewelry  and  by  giving  them  untir- 
ing and  devoted  attention.  A  proposal  of  marriage 
was  made  and  a  double  wedding,  fashionable  in  ever;y 
detail  was  planned,  the  girls  stating  that  they  looked 
forward  joyously  to  the  time  when  they  would  no 
longer  be  compelled  to  work  for  a  paltry  salary,  but 
instead  would  be  the  wives  of  prosperous  business 
fnen. 

These  two  girls,  however,  were  not  the  only  female 
acquaintances  on  the  visiting  list  of  Rutledge  and 
Rice.  They  knew  many  others  and  spent  most  of 
their  time  visiting,  driving  and  dining  with  their  lady 
friends.  They  played  the  society  game  to  the.  limit 
during  the  day  and  early  part  of  the  evening  and  late 
at  night  changed  their  attire  and  committed  robbery 
on  an  extensive  scale. 

Even  after  they  were  arrested  many  of  the  women 
whom  they  had  met  refused  to  believe  in  their  guilt, 
and  during  the  time  they  were  in  jail  in  Chicago  these 
women  sought  every  opportunity  they  could  invent 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  men.  Once  when  the 
robbers  were  arraigned  in  the  commissioner's  court. 
Myrtle  Norrie  entered  dressed  in  deep  mourning  with 
her  face  partly  covered  with  a  heavy  veil.  She 
watched  every  movement  of  Rutledge  as  he  sat  in 
the  prisoner's  cage  with  Rice  and  Jones. 


242         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIM£     . 

"Nothing  can  convince  me  that  Frank  is  guilty," 
■^aid  Miss  Norrie.  "I  love  him  yet  and  can  never  be 
convinced  that  he  is  as  black  as  he  is  painted.  They 
lie  when  they  say  that  he  served  a  sentence  in  Canon 
City  for  safe-blowing.  I  know  that  he  never  lived 
there." 

Then  she  wept  and  her  face  flushed  angrily.  She 
seemed  much  concerned  over  the  visit  of  two  other 
mysterious  girls  who  had  called  to  see  the  prisoners.  She 
looked  daggers  at  them,  though  they  did  not  seem  to 
be  frightened  and  left  word  that  they  would  call  at 
the  county  jail  to  see  the  prisoners. 

During  the  time  the  bank  robbers  were  making 
their  efforts  to  escape  extradition,  they  were  in  the 
custody  of  the  Cook  county  authorities  and  extraor- 
dinary precai*tions  were  taken  to  prevent  their  es- 
cape. They  had  many  shrewd  friends,  who  were  con- 
tinuously planning  a  method  for  their  escape.  They 
watched  and  were  perfectly  familiar  with  every  move 
made  by  the  authorities  and  with  every  action  made 
by  the  court.  Some  of  these  friends  were  always  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  jail  and  court  room.  On  one  occa- 
sion a  revolver  was  found  in  a  bowl  of  soup,  which 
had  been  sent  to  the  prisoners  by  an  outsider.  After 
this  the  officers  searched  their  cells  and  found  an- 
other revolver.  This  was  prior  to  the  time  when  they 
were  to  be  taken  to  the  court  from  the  jail  and  thence 
to  Canada.  On  another  occasion  Jones  attempted  to 
take  from  the  pocket  of  a  United  States  Marshal, 
while  in  the  prisoners'  cage  in  the  United  States  com- 
missioner's room,  a  revolver,  but  was  seen  just  in 
time  to  prevent  it.  At  another  time  an  effort  was 
made,  while  the  prisoners  were  being  taken  to  the 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  243 

District  Federal  Court,  to  escape  from  one  of  the  ele- 
vators in  the  Monadnock  building.  A  strong  force  of 
officers  was  always  with  them,  however,  and  had  to 
be  unusually  watchful  at  all  times.  The  friends  of 
these  desperate  men  included  both  sexes.  Just-  be- 
fore they  were  taken  to  Canada  a  woman  sent  them  a 
box  of  the  finest  imported  cigars  that  could  be  bought. 
They  also  received  a  bottle  of  fine  whiskey.  These 
presents  were  confiscated  by  the  officers  and  upon 
analysis  were  found  to  contain  powerful- narcotics.  It 
was  supposed  that  the  prisoners  intended  to  treat 
their  guards  while  on  the  way  to  Canada,  with  the 
cigars  and  whiskey,  and  if  they  had  induced  them  to 
partake  of  their  hospitality,  the  prisoners  would,  while 
their  guards  were  under  the  influence  of  the  narcotics, 
have  atternpted  to  rnake  their  escape. 

On  the  very  day  of  their  departure  for  Canada  a 
very  exciting  incident  took  place  which  went  to  show 
how  thoroughly  posted  the  friends  of  these  prisoners 
were.  Early  that  morning  the  detectives  went  to  the 
Cook  county  jail  in  a  patrol  wagon  to  convey  the  rob- 
bers to  the  Federal  Court  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
the  order  for  their  transfer  to  the  Canadian  authori- 
ties. Three  cabs  stood  on  the  street  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  jail,  and  in  each  was  a  woman,  who  was  a  friend 
of  the  prisoners.  The  patrol  wagon  was  driven  as 
rapidly  as  possible  to  the  Monadnock  building,  in 
which  the  Federal  Court  was  held,  yet  the  women  in 
the  cabs  arrived  there  as  promptly  as  the  wagon. 
•  While  the  order  was  being  obtained  the  detectives 
gave  it  out  that  the  men  would  be  taken  to  the  Michi- 
gan Central  depot  to  catch  the  train  at  ii  o'clock  for 
their  trip  to  Canada,  while,  in  fact,  the  train  which 


244         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

was  to  take  them  away  did  not  leave  until  4  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  This  did  not  deceive  the  women 
friends  of  the  prisoners,  however,  nor  did  they  get 
lost  from  the  patrol  wagon  in  the  circuitous  route  it 
pursued  in  re-taking  the  prisoners  to  the  Harrison 
Street  Station,  They  were  driven  through  several 
streets  and  alleys,  the  wagon  winding  about  and  turn- 
ing in  opposite  directions  a  number  of  times ;  yet, 
when  the  wagon  reached  the  Harrison  Street  Station, 
the  three  cabs  with  the  three  women  were  on  hand. 

They  stayed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  station  all  day, 
but  were  closely  watched  by  the  police  officers  to 
prevent  them  from  communicating  with  the  prison- 
ers. Just  before  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  three 
men  were  brought  from  their  cells  to  be  taken  to  the 
depot  on  Polk  street.  Suddenly  the  three  women  ap- 
peared, and  just  as  they  were  going  to  make  an  at- 
tempt to  reach  the  prisoners,  a  half  dozen  police 
seized  t:hem  and  held  them  at  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion until  the  men  were  safely  aboard  the  train  and 
far  away  from  Chicago. 

When  the  trunks  of  Rice,  Rutle'dge  and  Jones  were 
searched  the  officers  found  some  interesting  articles. 
There  were  several  letters  written  by  Miss  Norrie  to 
Rutledge.  A  photograph  of  her  was  also  found  in 
the  trunk,  with  her  name  written  on  the  back  of  it. 
Among  other  contents  was  a  leather-bound  Bible,  on 
the  title  page  of  which  was  written,  "Presented  to 
Fred  by  his  mother."  The  officers  also  found  much 
fine  wearing  apparel,  including  a  full  dress  suit  of 
London  make,  white  kid  gloves,  silk  vests,  duck  suits, 
silk  socks,  and  a  dozen  tailor-made  suits.  They  also 
found  an  electrical  appliance  which  is  a  modern  in- 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  245 

vention  for  the  opening  of  safes,  and  which  can  be 
used  only  in  towns  where  electricity  is  used  for  light- 
ing. 

There  were  also  a  number  of  valuable  trinkets  of 
various  descriptions  in  the  trunk,  which  was  supposed 
to  be  the  plunder  of  burglaries.  The  police  recovered 
a  memoranda  book  containing  the  names  of  fifty  Ca- 
nadian towns  with  a  description  of  each  place,  nam- 
ing the  number  of  banks,  number  of  safes,  the  popula- 
tion and  the  times  of  the  arrival  and  departure  of 
trains. 

When  Gannon,  one  of  the  members  of  the  gang, 
was  shot  and  killed  on  the  west  side,  the  police  found 
on  him  a  card  with  Rice's  name  on  it.  The  card 
showed  that  Rice  was  stopping  at  the  Great  Northern 
Hotel,  and  when  the  detectives  shadowed  him  there, 
thev  found  that  he  was  in  company  with  some  of  the 
best-known  business  men  of  Chicago. 

When  he  was  questioned  he  gave  references,  nam- 
ing people  who  were  prominent  in  the  social  and  busi- 
ness wo'rld  of  Chicago  and  Champaign,  Illinois.  He 
declared  that  he  could  not  understand  how  Gannon 
got  possession  of  his  card.  The  references  he  gave 
completely  convinced  the  police,  for  a  time  at  least, 
that  he  was  a  business  man  with  good  connections 
and  that  there  was  no  reason  for  suspecting  him  of 
having  any  relations  with  Gannon,  the  dead  robber. 

While  the  detectives  were  shadowing  Rutledge,  he 
frequently  acted  in  such  a  straightforward  way  that 
they  hesitated  to  arrest  him.  On  one  occasion  when 
they  were  following  him,  he  went  into  the  residence 
of  a  prominent  and  well-known  citizen,  where  it  was 
found  that  he  was  a  welcome  visitor  and  had  an  inti- 


246        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

mate  acquaintance  with  members  of  the  family,  Both 
would  be  frequently  seen  around  the  most  prominent 
hotels  of  Chicago  in  company  with  Chicago  business 
men  of  high  standing  in  the  financial  and  social  world. 
They  were  for  a  long  time  a  Chinese  puzzle  to  the 
officers  of  the  law,  and  it  was  not  until  they  had  been 
captured  in  the  Ashland  avenue  apartment  building 
and  their  trunks  searched  that  the  mystery  of  their 
identity  was  disclosed. 

It  was  an  interesting  case  of  pursuit  and  capture 
for  the  detectives.  In  the  solution  of  what  seemed  at 
one  time  almost  an  impenetrable  barrier  as  to  the  iden- 
tity and  occupation  of  these  three  clever  criminals, 
the  detectives  found  that  they  had  an  undertaking  of 
more  than  ordinary  importance. 

But  they  succeeded,  one  clew  following  another, 
pne  event  in  the  lives  of  the  men  leading  to  another, 
all  of  which  made  a  complete  chain  of  evidence,  which 
has  finally  been  their  complete  undoing  and  has  ridded 
the  country  of  a  gang  of  the  cleverest  safe-blowers  and 
bank-robbers  that  ever  operated  in  the  United  States 
or  any  other  country. 

With  their  unlimited  number  of  acquaintances  and 
friends,  they  had  formed  an  almost  impassable  barrier 
to  the  assaults  of  officers  of  the  law.  Always  well  sup- 
plied with  money,  which  they  secured  by  robbery  and 
theft,  they  were  enabled  at  all  times  to  make  a  strong 
fight  against  every  effort  that  was  made  to  convict 
them  of  their  crimes,  and  were  as  far  above  the  ordi- 
nary criminal  in  intelligence  and  shrewdness  as  the 
"get  rich  quick"  schemer  is  above  the  hold-up  man 
of  the  levee. 


INTERESTED  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  247 

The  story  of  their  crimes,  their  arrest  and  convic- 
tion and  the  tragical  end  of  two  of  them  forms  a  chap- 
ter in  the  history  of  the  world  that  will  forever  fur- 
nish to  the  student  of  criminology  a  subject  of  deep 
interest. 

Canadian  criminal  cases  are  conducted  very  differ- 
ently from  similar  cases  in  the  United  States.  They 
are  heard  by  a  police  commissioner  who  sits  in  a 
sanctum,  clothed  in  somber  robes,  looking  as  austere 
as  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court. 

This  august  authority  paid  a  very  high  compliment 
to  Detectives  Schubert  and  McGrath,  the  Chicago 
officers,  who  went  to  Toronto  to  testify  against  the 
bank  robbers.  During  the  progress  of  the  trial  he 
called  them  to  the  bench  and  personally  complimented 
them  upon  the  work  they  did  in  the  case.  Atfer  this 
he  called  them  into  his  private  chamber  and  had  a 
long  and  pleasant  talk  with  them. 

He  made  many  -inquiries  as  to  the  methods  em- 
ployed in  Chicago  and  other  cities  in  the  prosecution 
of  criminal  cases.  He  again  complimented  them  on 
their  work  in  the  case  and  thanked  "them  very  heartily 
for  what  they  did  in  bringing  the  criminals  to  justice. 
This  was  considered  in  Toronto  a  very  high  mark  of 
confidence  upon  the  part  of  the  judge  who  conducted 
the  case.  As  a  further  evidence  of  appreciation  on 
the  part  of  the  Canadian  authorities  of  the  work  done 
by  the  Chicago  Police  Department  in  bringing  these 
three  criminals  to  justice,  the  following  letter  was 
sent  to  the  General  Superintendent  of  Police  in  Chi- 
cago by  the  Crown  Attorney: 


/  • 


248         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

National  Trust   Building, 
20  King  Street. 
East  Toronto,  June  lo,  1901. 
Francis  O'Neill,  Esq.,  Chief  of  Police,  Chicago. 

Dear  Sir : — I  desire  to  thank  you  for  the  exceedingly  valuable 
assistance  you  have  rendered  in  the  interests  of  justice  in  the 
arrest  of  Fred  Lee  liice,  Frank  Rutledge  and  Thomas  Jones, 
and  in  allowing  Detectives  Schubert  and  McGrath  to  come  to 
Toronto  and  testify  on  the  charges  against  these  men.  The  evi- 
dence submitted  by  your  detectives  was  very  material,  and  they 
are  to  be  congratulated,  not  only  upon  this  evidence,  but  the 
splendid  impression  they  made  upon  the  court  and  jury.  The 
case  was  one  of  great  importance  to  us,  as  you  well  know,  and 
I  need  scarcely  assure  your  that,  apart  from  the  officers  of  our 
police  court,  who  are  always  glad  to  reciprocate  favors,  I  shall 
personally  be  only  too  glad  to  assist  you  at  any  time  in  any  matter 
in  which  we  can  be  of  servnce  to  you.    Believe  me  to  be 

Yours  faithfully, 

H.  H.  Dev/art, 
Crown  Attorney,  County  of  York 


WHISKEY  MADE  HIM  STEAL. 

The  use  of  whiskey  made  of  Frank  Henry,  a  man 
who  had  a  good  trade  and  could  always  earn  enough 
money  following  his  vocation  to  provide  him  with 
everything  he  needed,  a  common  thief  and  finally 
caused  his  conviction  and  sentence  to  the  penitentiary. 

The  man  was  a  printer,  but  he  would  frequently 
begin  a  debauch  which  lasted  several  weeks,  and 
when  he  was  on  one  of  these  sprees  he  would  steal 
anything  he  could  lay  his  hands  on. 

He  had  a  weakness  for  visiting  printing  offices,  and 
it  made  but  little  difference  whether  any  onp  was  at 


GIRL  ENTICED  FROM  HOME  249 

home  or  not.  If  the  proprietor  or  foreman  was  there 
and  he  could  get  away  with  anything  undetected 
which  he  could  pawn,  he  would  do  it.  If  he  called 
when  the  doors  were  closed,  he  would  seek  an  en- 
trance by  means  of  false  keys  or  force  a  door,  or 
break  a  window,  and  take  anything  he  could  carry. 

He  went  to  a  printing  office  on  Van  Buren  street 
one  Sunday  evening  and  took  a  paper  cutter  and  other 
tools.  These  he  carried  with  him  to  a  saloon  between 
Harrison  and  Van  Buren  streets,  and  as  he  was  in  the 
act  of  putting  them  behind  the  bar  he  was  seen  by 
Detective  Wooldridge,  who  arrested  him.  He  could 
give  no  satisfactory  answer  as  to  how  they  came  into 
his  possession,  and  was  locked  up  at  the  Harrison 
Street  Station. 

On  the  following  morning  a  complaint  was  made  of 
the  larceny  of  the  goods,  which  were  identified.  He 
was  held  in  bgnds  to  the  criminal  court,  indicted,  tried 
and  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  one  year  in  the 
Joliet  penitentiary  by  Judge  Sears,  March  24,   1894. 


GIRL  ENTICED  FROM  HOME. 

There  was  at  one  time  in  Chicago  a  regular  system 
of  enticing  young  girls  to  the  city  to  be  held  and  used 
for  immoral  purposes.  This  was  discovered  in  July, 
1896,  when  Detective  Wooldridge  arrested  James  and 
Blanche  Jackson,  colored,  at  126  Custom  House  place, 
on  a  charge  of  "unlawfully  detaining  a  female  in  a  dis- 
orderly house  for  immoral  purposes."  It  was  believed 
that  the  girls  were  procured  in  Milwaukee  and  brought 


250         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

here  under  the  pretense  that  they  were  to  be  given 
work  at  fancy  salaries. 

Blanche  Jackson  met  the  girl  who  was  rescued  by 
the  police,  in  Milwaukee,  and  in  a  conversation  induced 
her  to  take  a  boat  to  Chicago,  where  she  said  it  was 
easy  to  find  work.  She  was  taken  to  126  Custom 
House  place,  where  she  was  kept  prisoner  until  she 
fell  sick.  Then  she  wanted  to  leave,  but  was  locked 
up  in  her  room,  and  Mattie  Bruce,  the  cook,  was  the 
only  one  allowed  to  go  near  her.  Mrs.  Bruce  heard 
the  girl's  story  and  took  pity  on  her,  with  the  result 
that  the  police  were  notified,  who,  by  a  ruse,  got  the 
girl  from  the  place. 

Warrants  were  sworn  out  for  the  Jackson  couple 
and  they  were  arrested  by  Detective  Wooldridge. 
The  story  of  the  girl's  ill-treatment  was  most  horrible, 
and  the  police  went  actively  to  work  to  put  an  end  to 
the  system,  and  succeeded  so  well  that  only  an  occa- 
sional case  of  this  kind  is  now  heard  of.  The  young 
woman  in  this  case  was  restored  to  her  parents  and 
did  not  prosecute. 


CROOK  IN  A  FARMER'S  GARB. 

DETECTIVE     ARRESTS     A     MAN     WHO     WAS     SUSPECTED     OF 
STEALING    MILEAGE    BOOKS. 

The  police  of  Chicago  were  informed  early  in  1896 
that  a  number  of  ticket  offices  on  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  railroad  had  been  robbed  of  tickets  and 
mileage  books.  The  detectives  were  instructed  to  look 
out  for  this  property  and  arrest  any  one  who  was  seen 
with  it  in  their  possession.     On  the  night  of  June  2 


CROOK  IN  A  FARMER'S  GARB  251 

Detective  Wooldridge,  while  walking  along  Clark 
street,  saw  a  man  dressed  like  a  farmer,  running  at  full 
speed.  His  peculiar  garb  and  rapid  gait  attracted  a 
great  deal  of  attention.  He  stopped  the  man  and  be- 
gan to  question  him.  This  was  objected  to  by  the  sup- 
posed farmex,  who  drew  a  large  revolver  and  at- 
tempted to  shoot  Wooldridge. 

At  this  point  Detective  Schubert  came  up  and  the 
man  was  arcested  and  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station,  where  he  was  charged  with  burglary,  assault, 
receiving  stolen  goods  and  disorderly  conduct.  His 
name  was  John  Thompson,  and  when  searched  it  was 
found  that  he  had  a  number  of  burglar's  tools  in  his 
possession,  two  railway  tickets,  a  number  of  ticket 
punches  and  other  articles  indicating  that  he  was  a 
crook.  Two  mileage  books  of  two  thousand  miles 
each  and  one  of  one  thousand  miles  were  also  found 
in  his  possession.  They  were  issued  by  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  railroad  and  were  supposed  to  have 
been  part  of  the  property  stolen  from  that  company. 

Further  investigation  showed  that  he  had  entered 
the  house  of  a  woman  at  394  Clark  street,  and  draw- 
ing his  revolver  had  threatened  to  clear  out  the  place. 
The  woman  had  also  said  that  he  had  beaten  her. 
When  Thompson  was  first  taken  to  the  station  the 
officers  felt  considerably  elated  over  his  arrest,  feel- 
ing confident  that  he  was  one  of  the  gang  who  had 
been  robbing  the  railway  stations  in  Wisconsin.  He 
claimed,  however,  that  he  found  the  mileage  books 
and  tickets,  and  a  case  of  burglary  could  not  be  proven 
against  him.  A  fine  of  $100  was  assessed  against 
him,  however,  by  Justice  Richardson  for  assault  on  a 
woman. 


252         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


THIEVES  SLUG  A  FARMER. 

The  feeble  and  piteous  cries  of  a  man  coming  from 
an  alley  near  Clark  and  Harrison  street  attracted  the 
attention  of  Detective  Wooldridge  at  midnight,  i\Iarch 
4,  1892.  He  hurried  to  the  place  from  which  the  cries 
came  and  found  the  prostrate  form  of  a  man  who  by 
this  time  was  unconscious  from  the  blows  of  a  slung- 
shot  in  the  hands  of  a  thug. 

He  had  scarcely  time  to  make  an  examination  of 
the  man  and  ascertain  that  he  was  not  seriously  in- 
jured, when  two  men  made  a  dash  from  a  dark  hall- 
way, where  they  had  retreated  at  the  officer's  ap- 
proach, and  started  on  a  swift  run  down  the  alley. 
Wooldridge  immediately  gave  chase,  loudly  calling 
to  the  pair  to  surrender.  After  ten  minutes'  hard  run- 
ning the  detective  realized  that  he  was  being  outrun 
and  took  the  only  means  left  to  bring  the  fugitives 
to  a  halt ;  he  began  firing. 

The  first  shot  frorh  Wooldridge's  revolver  passed 
through  the  hat  of  one  of  the  men  and  promptly 
brought  him  to  a  standstill.  His  companion,  however, 
made  good  his  escape. 

Wooldridge  put  tthe  fellow  under  arrest  and  found 
that  he  was  Emanuel  Reed,  a  tough  negro  with  a  bad 
record.  His  unfortunate  victim  was  taken  with  him 
to  the  Harrison  Street  Station.  Reed  was  placed  be- 
hind the  bars,  and  the  wounded  man,  who  proved  to 
be  a  farmer  from  the  interior  of  the  state,  was  taken 
care  of.  At  the  time  of  the  assault  he  had  $1,600  in 
his  pocket,  but  the  quick  response  of  the  detective  so 
frightened  the  thieves  they  overlooked  the  money. 
Reed  was  find  $100  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Correc- 
tion. 


TERROR  OF  CLARK  STREET  253 


TERROR  OF  CLARK  STREET. 

DETECTIVE  WOOLDRIDGE  THE  QNLY  OFFICER  WHOM  HATTIE 
SMITH   DID   NOT  GET  THE  BEST  OF. 

The  terror  of  Clark  street  at  one  time  was  a  big 
colored  woman  who  called  herself  Hattie  Smith,  alias 
Hattie  Washington.  She  was  one  of  the  most  vicious 
and  desperate  thieves  on  the  levee,  and  almost  ever.v 
time  she  was  arrested  she  would  make  a  fight  with 
the  officers.  She  had  whipped  several  of  them,  and 
on  one  occasion,  when  she  was  arrested,  threw  a  brick, 
at  one  of  them,  knocking  him  down.  It  would  some- 
times take  four  or  five  men  to  put  her  in  the  wagon. 

On  February  19,  1892,  Detectives  Wooldridge  and 
Fitzgerald  noticed  three  colored  women  in  front  of  376 
Clark  street  who  had  an  old  farmer  in  tow.  After 
watching  a  few  minutes,  they  discovered  the  farmer 
was  under  the  influence  of  liquor  and  that  the  women 
were  trying  to  rob  him.  They  crossed  the  street  and 
hurried  to  his  assistance,  placing  Mary  Logan,  Lena 
Blake  and  Hattie  Smith  under  arrest. 

Hattie  vowed  that  Wooldridge  and  Fitzgerald  could 
not  take  her  and  ran  into  a  stove  store  near  by.  Gath- 
ering up  stove  lids,  wrenches,  gas  pipes,  in  fact,  every- 
thing she  could  lay  her  hands  on,  she  threw  them  at 
the  officers  and  finally  ran  to  the  rear  of  the  store,  en- 
tered a  bedroom  and  secreted  herself  under  the  bed. 

Two  more  officers  came  to  their  assistance  and  she 
was  dragged  out  from  under  the  bed.  She  fought  and 
kicked,  and  it  beoame  necessary  to  put  the  "come- 
alongs"  on  each  wrist.  When  this  was  done,  Wool- 
dridge had  one  arm  and  Fitzgerald  the  other.     The 


254         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

wagon  was  called,  but  before  it  reached  the  place  the 
"come-alongs"  caused  Hattie  to  scream  with  pain, 
and  she  promised  if  they  would  take  them  off  she 
would  behave  herself  and  submit  to  the  arrest  peace- 
ably. 

Fitzgerald  released  her  from  his  "come-alongs," 
and  as  he  did  so  she  struck  him  a  stinging  blow  under 
the  ear,  which  came  near  upsetting  him.  She  was 
just  in  the  act  c*  striking  Wooldridge,  who  still  had 
his  "come-alongs"  on  her  other  wrist,  when  he  took 
a  twist  on  them  which  cut  down  into  her  fiesh  and 
left  their  marks  there  for  months.  Hattie  was  thrown 
to  her  knees,  and  some  five  or  six  officers  grabbed  her 
and  placed  her  in  the  wagon. 

When  she  reached  the  police  station  and  was  being 
taken  out  of  the  wagon  she  let  fly  one  of  her  John  L. 
Sullivan  blows  and  knocked  the  wagon  man  spinning 
and  got  away.  She  ran  down  Pacific  avenue,  pursued 
by  a  dozen  officers,  who  overtook  her  at  the  corner  of 
Polk  street.  She  was  again  taken  to  the  station  and 
when  the.  lock-up  keeper  was  locking  her  in  a  cell  she 
spit  in  his  face.  She  kept  the  station  in  an  uproar  all 
night,  using  the  most  vile  and  profane  language.  She 
was  arraigned  the  next  morning  on  a  charge  of  disor- 
derly conduct,  resisting  arrest  and  vagrancy,  and  fined 
$ioo  on  each  charge  by  Justice  Lyons. 

A  few  nights  after  this  occurred  Wooldridge  and 
Fitzgerald  had  occasion  to  arrest  her  again.  She  said 
that  she  had  licked  no  less  than  half  a  dozen  officers 
in  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  that  she  would  not 
be  satisfied  until  she  licked  Wooldridge;  that  she  had 
promised  herself  she  would,  on  the  first  opportunity, 
lick  him  for  giving  her  that  fine  of  $3(X),  and  then  she 
started  for  him. 


TERROR  OF  CLARK  STREET  255 

Wooldridge  hit  her  yv^ith  his  "billie"  and  knocked 
her  down.  When  she  got  on  her  feet  he  knocked  her 
down  again,  and  he  was  compelled  to  knock  her  down 
no  less  than  six  times  before  she  would  give  up.  She 
walked  to  the  station  peaceably,  was  locked  up  and 
fined  $75  the  following  morning. 

Several  months  later  Hattie  became  involved  in  a 
quarrel  with  another  colored  woman  who  lived  at  141 
Custom  House  p,lace,  a  house  of  ill-repute  kept  by 
Blanche  Alexander.  Hattie  opened  the  door,  and  see- 
ing the  woman  she  was  seeking,  began,  without  any 
ceremony,  to  empty  a  revolver  at  her.  After  the 
smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  away,  Blanche  Alexander 
and  two  other  inmates  were  found  to  be  wounded. 
Hattie  was  arrested,  and  after  lying  in  jail  a  long  time 
was  finally  released  for  want  of  prosecution. 

Then  she  began  again  her  career  of  robbery.  On 
the  evening  of  the  city  and  county  elections,  April  4, 
1899,  T.  S.  Moore,  captain  of  one  of  the  lake  vessels, 
and  who  lived  on  the  west  side,  went  down  to  the  city 
to  hear  the  result  of  the  voting. 

He  stopped  at  the  Polk  street  depot  to  send  a  tele- 
gram, and  started  to  walk  to  the  office  of  the  Chicago 
Tribune,  where  the  election  returns  were  being  posted. 
He  had  reached  167  Custom  House  place,  when  Hat- 
tie Smith  and  another  colored  woman  loomed  up. 
Hattie's  companion  threw  her  arms  around  Mr. 
Moore's  neck  and  extracted  $56  from  one  of  his  pock- 
ets, but  before  she  could  get  away  he  caught  her  arm. 
Then  there  was  a  fierce  struggle  for  the  money,  which 
Mr.  Moore  had  nearly  got  by  prying  her  fingers  loose, 
one  at  a  time,  when  Hattie  Smith  ran  up  and  slashed 
the  back  of  his  hand  with  a  razor,  nearly  amputating 


256         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

it,  cutting-  through  to  the  bones  and  leaving  a  wound 
four  inches  long. 

Then  she  turned  to  run,  but  Mr.  Moore  caught  her 
with  his  other  hand  and  snatched  a  black,  curly  wig 
from  her  head.  He  pursued  her  into  a  restaurant  a 
few  steps  from  where  the  robbery  took  place,  but  she 
made  her  escape,  and  Mr.  Moore  reported  the  matter 
to  the  police  station. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  on  the  case,  and 
in  two  hours  discovered  that  Hattie  Smith,  alias  Hat- 
tie  Washington,  was  the  woman  who  had  so  severely 
cut  Mr.  Moore.  She  kept  out  of  the  way  and  was  not 
located  until  three  days  later,  when  the  detective  found 
that  she  was  in  her  room  at  159  Custom  House  place. 
He  entered  quietly  and  saw  her  and  a  companion  in 
bed  asleep.  Wooldridge  knew  it  would  require  some 
strategy  to  make  the  arrest.  He  stepped  outside,  and, 
going  to  a  hydrant,  drew  a  bucket  of  water  which  was 
nearly  ice-cold.  Slipping  back  into  the  room  he  delib- 
erately dashed  the  water  into  the  faces  of  the  sleep- 
ers. When  the  woman  realized  she  had  not  fallen  into 
the  Chicago  river,  she  submitted  to  arrest  and  was 
taken  to  the  station.  The  lake  captain,  however,  had 
to  leave  the  city,  and  as  there  was  no  prosecutor  she 
escaped  punishment. 


FLED  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT. 

DETECTIVE  WOOLDRIDGE  CAPTURES  PEARL  SMITH  AFTER 
SHE  HAD  TRAVELED  THOUSANDS  OF  MILES  TO  ELUDE 
HIM. 

Among  the  most  notorious  female  footpads  in  the 
United  States  and  one  who  is  only  excelled  in  this 


FLED  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  257 

line  by  Emma  Ford  is  Pearl  Smith,  who  is  a  full  sis- 
ter to  the  former.  There  is  nothing  strange  in  the 
fact  that  the  names  are  different,  because  these  people 
change  their  names  as  often  as  they  do  their  resi- 
dences. 

No  officer  perhaps  in  the  whole  country  has  had 
as  exciting  and  varied  an  experience  in  the  pursuit  of 
a  criminal  as  Detective  Wooldridge  has  had  with 
Pearl  Smith.  He  has  arrested  her  a  number  of  times, 
and  once  after  she  had  escaped  and  traveled  thousands 
of  miles  to  elude  him,  he  finally  captured  her  and  sent 
her  to  the  penitentiary  for  a  long  time. 

The  detective's  first  ser^ious  trouble  with  Pearl 
Smith  began  in  1892.  On  Sunday  evening,  October  6 
of  that  year,  Pearl  Smith  and  Mary  White  seized  a 
South  Water  street  commission  merchant  who  had 
just  alighted  from  a  train  and  was  on  his  way  home 
half  a  block  from  the  Polk  street  depot  with  his  arms 
full  of  bundles.  While  he  was  passing  the  doorway 
at  410  Dearborn  street  he  was  seized  by  the  arms  and 
lifted  off  his  feet  by  a  powerful  jerk  and  landed  in 
the  doorway  at  this  number,  when  the  door  was  closed 
on  him. 

There  he  found  himself  in  the  clutches  of  these 
powerful  colored  women  footpads.  The  bundles  he 
carried  were  dashed  to  the  floor,  and  he  fought  them 
desperately  with  one  hand,  while  he  held  on  to  his 
money,  which  was  in  his  inside  pocket,  with  the  other 
hand.  He  was  no  match  for  them,  however,  and  part 
of  his  clothing  was  torn  off  in  the  severe  scuffle.  They 
finally  secured  the  money,  amounting  to  $320,  then 
rushed  out  of  the  hallway  and  locked  him  inside.  The 
Dccupants  of  the  rooms  above  had  heard   the  noise 


258         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

resulting  from  the  encounter  and  came  to  his  assist- 
ance, releasing  him  from  his  imprisonment.  He  sought 
Detective  Wooldridge  and  made  a  complaint  of  the 
robbery,  giving  the  officer  a  very  good  account  of  it 
and  also  a  description  of  the  women.  Wooldridge 
then  began  a  systematic  search  for  the  robbers.  In  a 
short  while  he  discovered  them  only  two  blocks  away 
from  the  scene  of  the  hold-up.  They  were  in  an  alley 
dividing  the  money  they  had  secured.  He  at  once 
gave  chase  and  captured  Mary  White,  taking  her  to 
the  police  station,  where  she  was  searched  and  found 
to  have  in  her  possession  $120  in  $20  bills.  The  money 
was  fully  identified  on  account  of  a  bottle  of  ink  hav- 
ing been  spilled  on  it  that  morning,  and  further  by  the 
own'er  knowing  the  denomination  of  the  bills. 

Pearl  Smith  eluded  the  officer  at  this  time,  and  was 
not  captured  until  two  weeks  later.  Both  were  iden- 
tified by  the  victim  and  held  to  the  criminal  court  in 
bonds  of  $500  each.  They  secured  bail  and  were  soon 
after  indicted  by  the  grand  jury.  Capiases  were  issued 
for  their  arrest  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Detective 
Wooldridge  and  Deputy  Sheriff  Staley  for  service.     • 

The  officers  went  to  1907  Armour  avenue,  where 
Pearl  Smith  was  at  that  time  living.  When  they  ar- 
rived they  found  her  in  bed.  They  waited  outside  of 
her  room  door  for  her  to  dress.  After  allowing  her 
enough  time  the  officers  thought  to  make  a  toilet  for 
a  wedding,  they  entered  the  room  and  found  that  she 
had  gone.  They  discovered  that  she  had  lifted  a  trap 
door  in  the  center  of  the  room,  ancl  in  her  night  clothes 
had  dropped  through  this  opening  to  the  ground  six 
feet  below  and  had  made  her  escape. 

Detective  Wooldridge  found  that  she  had  left  this 


FLED  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  259 

city  and  learned  from  several  ^sources  that  she  had 
probably  gone  to  Kansas  City.  A  telegram  was  sent 
to  the  Chief  of  Police  at  that  place  asking  him  to  locate 
and  detain  the  fugitive. 

A  reply  was  received  saying  the  woman  had  gone 
from  there  to  Denver.  'Wcoldridge  then  went  to  the 
Western  Union  telegraph  office  and  determined  to 
send  dispatches  to  all  the  cities  in  the  West  in  order 
to  locate  her.  The  Western  Union,  however,  refused 
to  send  the  telegrams  unless  they  were  guaranteed  by 
the  Chief  of  Police  of  Chicago  or  paid  for  in  advance. 

The  detective  was  thwarted  for  the  time  being  in 
his  efforts  to  locate  the  woman  for  the  reason  that  it 
then  was  late  at  night  and  the  Chief  of  Police  had 
left  his  office,  and  he  himself  had  not  the  necessary 
funds  with  him  to  pay  for  the  dispatches.  He  was  de- 
termined not  to  be  outdone  by  a  small  matter  like 
this,  however,  and  left  the  telegraph  office  to  get 
more  money.  He  finally  secured  this  by  depositing 
his  gold  watch  and  overcoat  with  a  money-lender, 
then  rushed  back  to  the  Western  Union  office,  paid 
for  the  dispatches  and  told  the  operator  to  "burn  the 
wires"  all  over  the  West  until  he  located  the  fugitive. 

He  learned  by  this  means  that  the  woman  had  been 
in  Kansas  City,  but  had  left  there.  He  traced  her 
thence  to  Denver,  and  from  there  on  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, v/here  it  was  learned  that  the  fleeing  woman 
had  gone  to  Galveston,  Texas,  then  on  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  from  there  to  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas, 
where  she  was  arrested  and  brought  back  to  Chicago. 

She  again  secured  bail,  and  her  case  was  placed  on 
the  court  call  no  less  than  five  times,  but  through  the 
use  of  money  and  influence  she  was  not  brought  to 


260         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

trial  until  April.  24,  1893,  alntost  six  months  after  her 
indictment. 

Then  followed  one  of  the  most  energetic  and  vigi- 
lant searches  by  the  defense  to  locate  the  complain- 
ing witness  in  the  case  and  settle  with  him  outside  of 
court.  The  detective  had  .prepared  for  this,  however, 
and  they  failed  to  locate  the  woman's  victim.  He  had 
changed  his  residence  and  place  of  business,  and  no 
one  except  Wooldridge  knew  his  address.  The  officer 
was  even  offered  $1,000  in  cash  to  tell  the  friends  of 
the  woman  where  the  complaining  witness  lived. 
Wooldridge  replied  that  he  was  not  his  keeper,  and  if 
they  found  him  they  must  do  it  through  their  own 
efforts. 

The  conclusion  was  finally  reached  by  the  woman 
and  her  friends  that  the  merchant  she  had  robbed 
had  decided  not  to  prosecute  her  and  had  left  the  city. 

The  case  was  on  call  six  days  before  it  was  reached, 
and  all  this  time  Wooldridge  had  the  witness  secreted 
in  the  Sherman  House  in  charge  of  another  officer. 
When  the  case  was  called,  ex-State's  Attorney  Elliott, 
who  was  defending  the  two  women,  appeared  before 
the  court  and  in  a  dramatic  and  forcible  manner  said 
that  he  was  informed  that  the  state's  witness  had  left 
the  city,  and  this  being  the  case,  there  was  no  prose- 
cutor present,  and  he  demanded  the  immediate  dis- 
charge of  the  prisoners.  At  this  point  matters  looked 
very  bright  for  these  female  footpads,  but  Wooldridge 
cast  a  gloom  over  the  situation  when  he  told  the  court 
that  Mr,  Elliott  had  been  misinformed  and  that  the 
witness  was  present  and  was  in  as  good  health  as  any 
^ne  in  the  court  room.  Mr.  Elliott  was  also  told  that 
c'he  witness  had  already  lost  twenty-eight   days   in   at- 


FLED  ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  261 

tendance,  and  he  was  still  waiting  for  the  case  to  be 
called ;  that  he  intended  to  stick  and  fight  it  out  if  he 
had  to  be  in  attendance  a  whole  year. 

Then  the  merchant  who  had  been  robbed  by  the  de- 
fendants six  months  before  stepped  into  the  court 
room  and  stood  before  the  two  women.  His  appear- 
ance was  like  an  apparition.  Pearl  Smith  recognized 
him  instantly  and  decided  that  her  only  hope  was 
through  flight.  She  lost  no  time  in  carrying  out  her 
intention,  but  at  once  dashed  through  the  door  and 
made  her  escape. 

Mary  White  was  placed  on  trial  at  once,  and  after 
a  very  hard  and  stubborn  fight  by  her  counsel  she 
was  convicted  and  given  three  years  in  the  peniten- 
tiary, but  the  sentence  was  finally  cut  down  by  Judge 
Adams  to  two  years,  which  she  served.  She  was 
known  as  the  *'strangler,"  and  managed  several  dens 
of  vice,  and  is  credited  with  having  stolen  nearly 
$50,000. 

Detective  Wooldridge  again  took  up  a  hunt  for 
Pearl  Smith.  He  sodn  got  on  her  trail  and  followed 
her  by  means  of  telegrams  through  the  state  of  Michi- 
gan, then  to  Cincinnati,  then  to  Louisville,  and  finally 
located  her  in  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  v/here  she  was 
arrested  and  brought  back  the  second  time.  She  was 
arraigned  for  trial  on  a  charge  of  larceny  before  Judge 
Ewing,  June  19,  1893.  She  pleaded  guilty  and  was 
given  five  years  in  the  penitentiary.  Her  criminal 
career  was  similar  to  that  of  her  sister,  Emma  Ford. 
She  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  lived  with  her 
mother  who  conducted  what  was  known  as  the  "White 
Cas^H."  She  committed  so  many  robberies  and  other 
crimes  tnat  she  was  finally  driven  from  that  city. 


262         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

She  was  released  from  the  penitentiary  in  1897,  re- 
turning to  her  own  old  work  on  the  levee  and  robbing 
whenever  she  had  a  chance. 

On  the  night  of  February  23,  1892,  long  before  she 
had  been  sent  to  the  penitentiary,  Detective  Wool- 
dridge  caught  Pearl  Smith  holding  up  and  robbing  a 
man  on  Plymouth  place.  The  detective  went  to  the 
man's  assistance  and  reached  him  before  the  woman 
got  his  money.  On  the  following  day  she  was  fined 
$100  and  costs  for  this  offense. 

She  was  finally  driven  out  of  the  city  by  the  police 
in  1899,  ^^^^  J^'^^^t  turned  up  in  New  York  city. 

Here  she  began  the  same  career  she  followed  in 
Chicago,  and  was  very  successful  for  some  months. 
Later,  however,  she  was  arrested  by  the  police  of 
New  York  and  convicted  of  robbery,  for  which  she  ir. 
now  serving  a  term  of  five  years  in  Sing  Sing  penite'" 
tiary. 


A  DESPERATE  ENCOUNTER. 

TWO    TOUGH     HIGHWAYMEN     AND    HORSE    THIEVES    FROM 
BALTIMORE    CAPTURED    AFTER    A    RUNNING    FIGHT. 

The  Democratic  National  Convention  was  in  ses- 
^sion  in  Chicago  on  June  23,  1892,  and  on  that  night 
Grover  Cleveland  was  nominated  for  president.  De- 
tective Wooldridge  was  detailed  at  the  convention  hall 
on  Michigan  avenue  and  Madison  street,  to  look  after 
pickpockets,  shell  workers  and  thieves  who  take  ad- 
vantage of  such  large  gatherings  to  ply  their  voca- 
tion. 

It  rained  in  torrents  on  the  night  mentioned,  and 
the  storm  had  driven  almost  every  one  home,  and  the 


•      A  DESPERATE  ENCOUNTER  26S 

streets  were  nearly  flooded  with  water.  Wooldridge 
was  detained  at  the  convention  hall  till  early  in  the 
morning,  when  he  started  home.  He  reached  the  cor- 
ner of  Wabash  avenue,  when  he  heard  a  cry  of  "Stop, 
thief !"  "Police !"  "Help !"  and  a  moment  later  a  buggy 
came  at  a  rapid  rate  down  the  street.  The  driver  was 
lashing  his  horse  right  and  left,  trying  to  make  it  go 
faster. 

This  unseemly  haste  at  this  hour  of  the  morning, 
together  with  the  cries  he  had  heard,  convinced  Wool- 
dridge that  a  crime  had  been  committed,  and  that 
these  men  were  the  guilty  ones.  That  they  must  be 
stopped  and  an  investigation  made  was  the  heroic  de- 
tective's resolve,  and  he  immediately  put  it  into  exe- 
cution. 

When  they  had  come  to  within  fifty  feet  of  Wool- 
dridge, he  sprang  into  the  street,  revolver  in  hand, 
and  ordered  them  to  halt.  They  paid  no  attention 
to  him,  but  whipped  the  horse  all  the  harder. 

As  the  horse  was  nearly  on  him,  he  sprang  aside 
and  caught  at  the  bridle  and  there  hung  for  dear  life, 
notwithstanding  the  blows  that  were  rained  on  his 
head  by  one  of  the  men  who  had  jumped  on  the  back 
of  the  horse.  Still  the  brave  and  plucky  detective 
hung  on  and  was  carried  a  block  before  the  horse  was 
brought  to  a  stop. 

W^ooldridge  had,  during  the  melee,  managed  to  fire 
a  shot  at  the  man  who  was  on  the  horse's  back.  The 
man  at  whom  the  detective  had  fired  rolled  off  the 
horse's  back  and  it  was  supposed  that  he  was  either 
killed  or.  dangerously  wounded. 

Some  two  hundred  feet  further  the  horse  was 
stopped,   and   John    Crosby,   one   of  the   men   in   the 


264         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

buggy,  grabbed  the  horse  weight  and  hurled  it  at  the 
detective's  head  with  such  force  that  he  lost  his  bal- 
ance and  fell  over  the  dashboard  almost  at  the  feet  of 
Wooldridge,  who  had  dodged  the  murderous  missile, 
and  with  a  well-directed  blow  with  the  butt  of  his  re- 
volver, laid  Crosby  out. 

John  McGinnis,  one  of  the  other  men,  tried  to  make 
his  escape  by  jumping  from  the  buggy  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  Wooldridge.  His  foot  became  entangled 
in  the  lap  robe  and  before  he  could  extricate  himself 
Wooldridge  had  him  by  the  coat  collar. 

McGinnis  pulled  a  piece  of  garden  hose  filled  with 
shot  from  his  pocket  and  used  it  as  a  billy,  Wool- 
dridge using  his  revolver  as  a  club.  They  both  grap- 
pled and  blow  after  blow  was  exchanged,  neither  will- 
ing to  yield  an  inch,  though  it  looked  as  if  the  detect- 
ive was  getting  the  worst  of  it.  Still  he  held  on. 
Both  were  bleeding  from  a  number  of  wounds,  which 
they  inflicted  on  each  other  as  the  desperate  fight  went 
on.  Then  McGinnis  fell  unconscious  from  a  blow 
from  the  revolver. 

The  other  having  gotten  away,  the.  two  men  who 
were  left  were  taken  into  custody,  several  citizens  in 
the  meantime  having  come  to  the  aid  of  the  officer. 
He  went  to  look  after  the  man  whom  he  thought  was 
shot,  but  no  trace  of  him  was  found. 

They  had  in  their  possession  a  horse  and  bug'gy 
stolen  from  State  and  Polk  streets,  which  belonged  to 
Emmet  C.  Gibson,  of  2444  Cottage  Grove  avenue. 
The  three  men  had  driven  the  horse  and  buggy  to  an 
alley  under  the  elevated  railroad  on  Congress  street, 
where  they  had  held  up  James  McNeal  of  380  State 
street  and  relieved  him  of  his  watch  and  $50.     This 


LONG  TERM  FOR  BICYCLE  THIEF  265 

man  had  raised  the  cry  that  attracted  the  detective's 
attention. 

Both  the  robbers  were  held  to  the  grand  jury  and 
placed  on  trial  July  26  before  Judge  Hawes,  found 
guilty  and  given  one  year  in  the  penitentiary. 


LONG  TERM  FOR  BICYCLE  THIEF. 

MAN    WHO   STOLE   A    WHEEL    SENT   TO    THE   PENITENTIARY 
FOR   TEN    YEARS. 

Bicycle  thieves  were  at  one  time  the  bane  of  all 
lovers  of  the  wheel  in  Chicago,  but  through  tlie  efforts 
of  the  police,  encouraged  by  the  courts  in  punishing 
these  daring  purloiners  of  the  property  of  others,  the 
theft  of  a  bicycle  has  become  a  rare  occurrence. 

Detective  Wooldridge  arrested  a  man  giving  the 
name  of  Andrew  Washington,  November  2"/,  1893, 
for  stealing  a  bicycle  from  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Brown,  12  Polk  street.  The  evidence  against  the  thief 
was  complete,  and  when  it  was  presented  in  court  be- 
fore Judge  Freeman,  the  man  was  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  ten  years  in  the  penitentiary. 

This  is  the  most  severe  sentence  ever  given  to  a 
bicycle  thief  in  Chicago,  and  it  had  the  effect  of  nearly 
putting  an  end  to  this  kind  of  larceny.  The  stolen  bi- 
cycle in  this  instance  was  valued  at  $150,  and  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  it  was  recovered  and  returned 
to  the  owner,  the  court  gave  the  prisoner  the  sentence 
of  ten  years. 

On  December  8,  1892,  W.  P.  Spencer  entered  a  flat 
on    the    west    side    and    stole    a    bicycle   wortl^   $165, 


266         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

which  was  taken  to  a  pawnbroker  on  Clark  street 
and  offered  iox  $25.  Detective  Wooldridge  noticed 
that  Spencer  could  not'  ride  the  wheel  and  that  he 
acted  suspiciously,  and  followed  him  into  the  pawn- 
broker's place,  and  after  asking  a  number  of  questions 
he  arrested  him.  This  was  just  one  hour  after  the 
wheel  was  stolen. 

The  fellow  could  give  no  satisfactory  answer  as  to 
how  he  came  in  possession  of  the  wheel,  and  soon 
after  the  owner  made  complaint  at  the  station. 

Spencer  was  held  to  the  grand  jury  in  bonds  of 
$800,  was  indicted  and  on  trial  sentenced  to  one  year 
in  the  penitentiary. 


BREAKS  UP  A  COCK  FIGHT. 

DETECTIVE  IN   DISGUISE  LOCATES   A  CROWD  OF  SPORTS  AND 
ARRESTS   ALL   OF  THEM. 

Cock  fighting  is  one  of  the  most  disgusting  and 
cruel  sports  indulged  in  by  gamblers.  It  has  been 
suppressed  in  Chicago  a  number  of  times,  but  occa- 
sionally breaks  out  again  in  all  its  old-time  fierceness. 
It  has  always  been  a  difficult  matter  to  stop  this  cruel 
diversion,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  carried  on  so 
quietly  and  secretly  that  the  police  are  often  unable 
to  locate  the  "pits"  or  arenas  in  which  the  mains  take 
place. 

Cock  fighting  is  usually  carried  on  in  the  basement 
of  some  saloon  or  in  an  out-of-the-way  barn  or  vacant 
building.  In  the  center  of  the  room  is  a  ten-foot 
padded  circle  in  which  the  birds  are  pitted  against 


BREAKS  UP  A  COCK  FIGHT  267 

each  other,  and  it  is  usually  a  fight  to  the  death. 
Sometimes  the  fights  are  held  in  the  upper  stories  of 
buildings,  but  it  is  always  difficult  to  gain  access  un- 
less one  is  known  to  the  promoters  of  the  sport. 

On  January  9,  1897,  the  Police  Department  received 
information  that  there  was  to  be  a  cock  fight  on  Wa- 
bash avenue,  and  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed 
to  locate  the  place  and  stop  the  sport.  Every  barn, 
saloon  and  vacant  house  east  of  State  street,  in 
which  it  seemed  there  was  any  prospect  of  a  cock 
fight,  was  visited  and  a  close  watch  kept  on  all  pass- 
ers-by, busses  and  vehicles  from  7  to  11  p.  m.,  in 
the  effort  to  locate  some  clue  to  the  fight. 

While  Wooldridge  was  standing  at  Fifteenth  street 
and  Wabash  avenue  an  old  buggy  drove  by.  It  had 
no  top  and  contained  three  men  who  had  sOme  gunny 
sacks  in  front  of  them.  This  aroused  suspicion,  and 
after  the  buggy  had  passed  Wooldridge  heard  the 
crow  of  a  cock.  He  was  convinced  he  was  on  the 
right  track,  and  pulling  his  hat  down  over  his  face,  he 
started  to  follow  the  buggy. 

It  turned  west  on  the  Air  Line  railroad  track  to  the 
alley  and  went  north  in  the  alley  until  it  reached  a 
six-story  house  which  ran  to  the  alley  in  the  rear  of 
a  livery  stable  at  1525  Wabash  avenue. 
'  There  the  men"  alighted,  taking  out  several  of  the 
sacks  containing  the  fighting  cocks. 

The  detective  was  strengthened  in  his  belief  that 
he  had  located  the  fighting  pit  by  seeing  men  in 
groups  pass  down  the  alley,  and  he  heard  one  fellow 
ask  his  friend  if  he  had  a  pass,  for  without  one  he 
could  not  get  in.     The  detective  had  neither  pass  nor 


268         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

invitation;  but  into  this  barn  he  must  go  and  see 
what  was  going  on.  v 

Wooldridge  then  disguised  himself  as  a  bum,  and 
going-  down  to  a  poultry  store  at  Clark  and  Harrison 
streets,  secured  two  roosters,  placed  each  of  them  in 
a  gunny  sack  and  returned  to  the  barn. 

With  his  chickens  in  the  sack,  he  started  boldly  to 
enter.  He  was  stopped  several  times,  but  told  the 
sentries  he  was  sent  there  with  the  chickens  and  he 
must  deliver  them.  Finally  he  was  permitted  to  en- 
ter and  was  told  to  take  the  chickens  upstairs. 

Upon  reaching  the  sixth  floor  he  found  a  large  as- 
sembly of  men,  a  canvas  pit,  and  lamps  with  reflect- 
ors on  the  walls  around  the  room.  The  windows  were 
covered  with  blankets,  and  there  was  a  bar  in  one 
corner,  stocked  with  liquors  and  cigars.  Everything 
was  shipshape,  ready  for  the  fight. 

Under  the  pretense  of  going  for  some  more  birds, 
Wooldridge  left  ;the  hall  and  hurried  to  a  patrol  box. 
He  told  Lieutenant  Cudmore  he  wanted  twenty  po- 
licemen and  three  wagons  as  quickly  as  he  could  get 
them,  and  they  were  soon  at  hand. 

The  place  was  then  raided,  and  there  was  a  wild 
scramble  among  the  sports  to  get  away.  Twenty-five 
men  and  seventeen  cocks  were  captured,  none  escap- 
ing except  the  Shanghai  roosters  which  Wooldridge 
used  as  a  ruse  to  get  inside. 

The  prisoners  were  booked  under  the  state  .aw  and 
arraigned  before  Justice  Underwood  and  heavily  fined. 
Two  of  the  birds  were  produced  as  evidence  in  court 
and  placed  on  the  iron  railing  in  front  of  the  justice. 
Upon  viewing  each  other  they  began  crowing  so  lust- 
ily and   loudly   that  persons   on   the  outside  thought 


RESORT  TO  FIRE  ESCAPE  269 

that  the  magistrate  was  conducting  a  cock  fight  in 
the  Temple  of  Justice.  He  removed  the  suspicion  by 
ordering  the  chickens  taken  away. 


RESORT  TO  FIRE  ESCAPE. 

CROOKS    TAKE    TO    THE    HOUSE    TOPS,    BUT    VIGILANT    DE- 
TECTIVE  FOLLOWS    AND   ARRESTS   THEM. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1896,  a  complaint  was 
made  to  Captain  Charles  G.  Koch,  who  was  then  in 
command  of  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  that 
Jennie  Wells,  Dot  Delaney  and  Dot  Gordon  were 
conducting  an  opium  joint  and  panel  house  at  411 
State  street. 

Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  were  detailed 
to  break  it  up,  and,  armed  with  warrants,  went  to  the 
place.  Finding  the  doors  locked  and  bolted  against 
them,  they  were  compelled  to  use  a  battering  ram  be- 
fore they  could  gain  admission.  A  search  was  made, 
but  only  Frank  Gordon  could  be  found. 

On  going  to  the  window  on  State  street  the  officers 
were  surprised  to  see  some  three  or  four  hundred 
people  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  whose  at- 
tention was  being  attracted  by  some  more  than  ordi- 
nary event. 

One  of  the  men  was  seen  to  point  to  the  roof,  and 
on  looking  up  the  officers  were  surprised  to  see  Dot 
Delaney,  bareheaded,  dressed  in  short  dress  and  low 
neck,  and  red  shoes,  with  an  opium  pipe  in  one  hand, 
ascending  the  fire  escape. 

A  number  of  the  other  inmates  had  preceded  her 


E^m 


CLIMBING  THE  FIRE  ESCAPE. 


RESORT  TO  FIRE  ESCAPE  271 

in  making  their  escape.  Wooldridge  thought  that  if 
she  could  cHmb  the  dangerous  fire  escape  he  could, 
and  up  he  went  to  the  roof  and  brought  down  four  of 
the  inmates  and  a  number  of  opium  pipes  and  other 
accessories  of  an  opium  joint. 

All  this  time  the  crowd  was  increasing,  until  there 
were  more  than  a  thousand  people,  who  cheered  lust- 
ily, and  even  the  passengers  got  oflf  the  street  cars  to 
see  the  sport. 

Several  trips  were  made  before  all  were  brought 
down.  The  patrol  wagon  was  called,  and  the  prisoners 
were  taken  to  the  station.  The  next  morning  they 
were  arraigned  and  given  heavy  fines. 

The  evildoers  and  levee  characters  have  about  made 
up  their  minds  that  there  is  no  way  that  they  can 
avoid  the  sleuth  when  he  goes  after  them. 

They  have  tried  to  shoot  him.  They  have  tried  to 
whip  him.  They  have  taken  the  railroad  trains.  The)' 
have  dug  tunnels.-  They  have  gone  to  the  house-tops. 
They  have  climbed  fire  escapes.  They  have  tried  to 
bribe  him.  They  have  built  panels  in  the  walls.  They 
have  used  their  pull  with  politicians.  They  have 
jumped  off  house-tops. 

They  have  tried  to  outrun  him.  They  have  taken 
the  steamboats.  They  have  tried  to  feign  death.  They 
have  tried  to  hide  in  trunks.  They  have  tried  hot 
water  on  him.  They  have  tried  red  pepper.  They 
have  tried  intimidation.  They  have  offered  $10,000 
to  have  him  removed  or  discharged.  But,  somehow, 
they  cannot  avoid  him,  and  there  is  only  one  way  left 
untried;  that  is  by  the  balloon. route,  which  will  prob- 
ably be  tried  next. 


272         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


RUFFIAN  ASSAULTS  A  CHILD. 

LITTLE    GIRL    ENTICED    INTO    A    HOTEL    BY    A    NEGRO    AND 
FORCED  TO  DO  HIS  BIDDING. 

In  her  determination  to  escape  from  the  clutches  of 

•  a  brutal  negro,  Fannie  Gray,  a  little  thirteen-year-old 

-   girl,  who  had  come  to  Chicago  from  a  country  town  to 

get  work,  leaped  from  a  third-story  window  of  the 

Diamond  Hotel. 

She  was  clad  only  in  a  short  nightdress,  leaving 
even  her  shoes  and  stockings  behind  in  her  flight  for 
safety.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  De- 
tective Wooldridge  saw  the  fleeing  form  and  at  once 
gave  pursuit. 

The  girl  fell  from  exhaustion  after  she  had  run  two 
blocks.  Then  the  detective  picked  her  up  tenderly 
and  took  her  to  the  police  station,  where  she  was  well 
cared  for.  There  she  related  her  story  to  the  de- 
tective. 

She  said  she  had  come  to  Chicago  to  get  employ- 
ment, but  failing  to  find  it  and  worn  out  from  walking 
over  the  city,  sat  dowh  on  the  curbstone  at  Thirty- 
fifth  street  and  Michigan  avenue  to  rest.  It  was  then 
that  she  realized  her  condition — in  a  strange  city, 
without  either  friends  or  money,  tired  and  hungry, 
footsore  and  weary.  And  the  question  came  to  her 
with  much  force,  "What  am  I  to  do?"  It  was  begin- 
ning to  grow  dark,  and  a  storm  was  threatening. 
Tears  filled  her  eyes,  and  she  cried  and  sobbed  as 
though  her  heart  would  break.  "Oh,"  she  cried,  "if 
I  could  only  see  my  dear  mother  once  more  and  tell 
her  how  sorry  I  am  I  left  her."     She  promised  her- 


RUFFIAN  ASSAULTS  A  CHILD 


273 


self  that  if  she  could  only  reach  her  home  she  would 
never  leave  it  again. 

While  she  sat  and  wept  there,  a  colored  woman  of 
the  name  of  Mary  Anderson  chanced  to  pass  that 
way,  and  she  was  attracted  by  the  strange  fact  of  the 
girl's  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  walk  and  being  in  such 


GIRL  MAKING  HER  ESCAPE. 


deep  distress ;  so  she  spoke  to  her  and  told  her  to  go 
to  Fannie  Wright's,  3507  Dearborn  street,  several 
squares  distant  from  where  they  were.  Mary  Ander- 
son told  FaTnnie  that  she  might  possibly  find  employ- 
ment there;  if  not  employment,  at  any  rate,  she  would 


274         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

have  shelter  for  the  night,  which  was  considerably 
better  than  staying  out  in  the  cold. 

To  make  sure  that  she  would  reach  Wright's  in 
safety,  the  colored '  woman  introduced  Fannie  to  a 
burly  negro,  Cobb  Jackson,  who,  she  said,  would  con- 
duct her  to  her  new  place.  Instead,  however,  of  tak- 
ing her  to  this  place,  he  took  the  girl  to  several  sa- 
loons, and  at  eleven  o'clock  that  night  he  enticed  her 
to  the  Diamond  Hotel,  where,  he  told  her,  a  position 
awaited  her. 

At  the  several  saloons  they  visited  prior  to  arriving 
at  the  Diamond  Hotel,  which  is  situated  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  Twenty-fourth  and  State  streets,  wine 
and  beer  had  been  bought,  and  the  villain  was  ready 
for  anything.  He  secured  a  bed  for  the  night,  and 
after  Fannie  had  retired,  this  black  ruffian,  like  a  lurk- 
ing serpent,  crept  to  her  room,  and  at  the  point  of  a 
revolver  threatened  her  life  if  she  made  an  outcry. 
Fannie  fought  desperately,  but  Jackson  placed  his 
hand  over  her  mouth,  choked  her  into  submission  and 
raped  this  helpless  child. 

He  then  locked  the  door  of  the  bedroom,  and  plac- 
ing the  key  in  his  pooket,  at  2  a.  m.  fell  asleep.  Fan- 
nie then  slipped  out  of  bed,  hoisted  the  window  care- 
fully, and  mounting  the  window  sill,  leaped  over  an 
air  shaft  some  five  feet  wide,  which  led  up  from  the 
first  to  the  third  floor,  where  her  room  was  located. 
Had  she  missed  her  footing  she  would  have  fallen 
and  been  dashed  to  inst^.nt  death.  As  it  was,  she 
went  heels  over  head  down  the  steps  to  ^Me  floor  be- 
low. The  only  damage  she  received  in  this  wonderful 
passage  was  a  scalp  wound  in  the  back  of  the  head. 

After  the  child's  clothes  had  been  secured  and  she 


PURSE  SNATCHER  IS  PUNISHED  275 

was  made  comfortable,  Detective  Wooldridge  started 
out  to  find  and  arrest  Cobb  Jackson,  her  assailant.  He 
first  went  to  Mrs.  Wright's,  3507  Dearborn  street, 
where  he  found  a  photograph  of  Jackson,  and  together 
with  Officer  Hatcher  he  visited  eyery  saloon  and  re- 
sort on  State  street  from  Thirty-fifth  street,  until  Van 
Buren  street  was  reached,  and  it  was  while  passing  the 
alley  between  State  and  Dearborn  streets  on  Van  Buren 
that  Jackson  was  found. 

Before  he  (Jackson)  knew  where  he  was  or  what 
had  struck  him  a  pair  of  handcuffs  had  been  slipped 
on  his  wrists,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station,  where  he  was  confronted  with  Fannie,  who 
identified  him  the  very  moment  she  laid  her  eyes  on 
him,  and  she  then  repeated  the  story  that  she  had  told 
Detective  Wooldridge  before. 

Two  days  later  the  case  was  presented  to  the  grand 
jury,  which  returned  a  true  bill  charging  rape,  and  on 
June  2,  1897,  Jackson  was  arraigned  before  Judge 
Baker,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  ten  years  at 
hard  labor  in  the  penitentiary. 

The  father  and  mother  of  Fannie  were  present  dur- 
ing the  trial,  and  considerable  force  had  to  be  brought 
to  bear  to  deter  Mr.  Gray  from  doing  Jackson  bodily 
harm  for  the  awful  injury  he  had  worked  on  the  child. 


PURSE  SNATCHER  IS  PUNISHED. 

One  of  the  meanest  classes  of  thieves  to  deal  with 
in  large  cities  is  known  as  "purse  snatchers."  Their 
victims  are  nearly  always  women.  They  mix  in  a 
crowd   of   shoppers   at  a   street   crossing  or   corner, 


276         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

snatch  a  purse  from  a  woman's  hand,  dart  away  and 
are  soon  lost  in  the  throng.  In  August,  1896,  while 
Mrs.  C.  B.  Wilson  and  her  two  sisters  were  crossing 
the  Rock  Island  tracks  on  Harrison  street,  two  colored 
men  ran  up  behind, her.  One  of  them  held  her  arms 
while  the  other  snatched  her  purse.  The  three  women 
screamed,  and  one  of  the  men  ran  east  on  Harrison 
street  to  Clark.  He  was  pursued  by  a  number  of  citi- 
zens and  police  officers,  but  jumped  on  a  south-bound 
electric  car  and  escaped.  The  thief's  confederate  ran 
north  on  the  Rock  Island  tracks  to  Polk  street,  closely 
followed  by  Detective  Wooldridge.  Just  before  the 
officer  reached  him,  the  thief  threw  the  purse  under  a 
passenger  coach,  after  having  taken  the  money  from 
it.  The  man,  who  gave  his  name  as  Frank  Ford,  was 
arrested  and  taken  back  to  the  scene  of  the  robbery, 
where  he  was  identified  by  Mrs.  Wilson  and  her  sis- 
ters. 

At  the  station  Ford  was  identified  as  the  man  who 
had  tried  to  steal  Mrs.  Clement's  purse,  17  Charles 
place,  half  an  hour  before.  He  was  locked  up  charged 
with  robbery,  and  held  to  the  criminal  court  in  bonds 
of  $2,000,  indicted  and  arraigned  for  trial  September 
24,  1897,  found  guilty  and  sent  to  the  Pontiac  Reform- 
atory. 


FOOTPRINTS  IN  THE  SNOW. 

TRACKS  LEAD  TO  THE  DISCOVERY  OF  A  BIG  DEN  OF  THIEVES 
AND   TWO    ARE    ARRESTED. 

A  light  fall  of  snow  is  sometimes  an  aid  to  a  detect- 
ive and  is  also  frequently  fatal  to  a  footpad.  In  one 
case  it  gave  Detective  Wooldridge  a  clew  which  led 


FOOTPRINTS  IN  THE  SNOW  277 

to  the  arrest  of  two  men  who  tried  to  rob  a  flat  at 
1219  State  street. 

The  detective  was  crossing  the  Twelfth  street  via- 
duct on  January  4,  1892,  and  had  reached  a  point 
about  three  hundred  yards  west  of  State  street  when 
a  cry  of  "Burglars !"  "Police !"  reached  his  ears.  The 
call  for  help  came  from  the  corner  of  Twelfth  and 
State  streets. 

Upon  reaching  that  point  he  was  informed  that  two 
men  had  tried  to  effect  an  entrance  to  the  flat  at  1219 
State  street  and  had  been  frightened  away,  but  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  a  tub  of  butter  with  them  and  escaped 
down  the  alley. 

There  was  a  light  fall  of  snow,  and  Wooldridge 
upon  going  to  the  alley  found  fresh  tracks  of  two  men, 
and  upon  investigation  discovered  that  one  of  ihe  men 
had  one  very  long  foot  and  a  very  short  one.  Ap- 
parently one  of  the  feet  was  deformed  or  a  part  of  it 
had  been  amputated  at  some  time. 

The  tracks  of  the  other  man  showed  that  one  of  his 
feet  was  shod  in  a  long  narrow-pointed  shoe,  and  the 
track  was  directly  in  a  line  of  the  way  in  which  the 
man  was  going,'  while  the  other  foot  was  turned  in 
almost  an  opposite  direction,  and  the  shoe  was  not  so 
large.  The  feet  were  not  the  same  size,  neither  were 
the  shoes  mates,  and  the  tracks  were  made  by  a  man 
who  was  crippled  or  deformed. 

Wooldridge  concluded  that  he  would  follow  the 
tracks  and  try  to  overtake  the  men. 

The  tracks  led  through  the  alley  to  Fourteenth 
street,  then  west  to  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  railroad  tracks  until  they  reached  an  old 
coal  car  on  the  side  track  between  Taylor  and  Harri- 


278         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

son  streets.  The  detective  waited  and  listened  several 
minutes.  He  could  hear  numerous  voices  and  shuf- 
fling of  feet  in  the  car.  He  decided  there  were  too 
many  for  him  to  tackle  single-handed,  so  he  went  back 
to  the  station  for  assistance. 

I  Returning  with  eight  men,  he  surrounded  the  car 
[and  arrested  forty  men,  twenty-six  of  whom  were 
sent  to  the  House  of  Correction  on  $40  fines.  Among 
them  were  William  Lake  and  John  Murry. 

Both  of  these  men  had  deformed  feet,  and  evidently 
were  the  ones  who  stole  the  butter  and  tried  to  effect 
an  entrance  to  the  flat.  Failing  to  have  any  one  iden- 
tify them  as  the  men,  they  were  fined  the  same  amount 
as  the  others,  $40  each. 

A  wagon-load  of  goods  was  taken  from  the  car, 
consisting  of  canned  fruit,  meat,  butter,  groceries, 
shoes  and  clothing.  Anything  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on  was  stolen,  and  either  used  by  them  or  sold. 
This  was  the  breaking  up  of  one  of  the  toughest  gangs 
of  petty  thieves  that  had  been  on  the  levee  for  years. 


'CATCHES  THREE  BURGLARS. 

DETECTIVE  DOES  A   CLEVER  PIECE  OF  WORK   AND   RECOVERS 
$1,000   WORTH   OF  STOLEN    PROPERTY. 

On  the  night  of  July  21,  1895,  while  Detective 
Wooldridge  was  patrolling  his  beat  in  the  vicinity  of 
State  and  Taylor  streets,  he  did  a  clever  piece  of 
work  in  the  capture  of  three  burglars,  one  of  whom 
made  a  confession  which  resulted  in  the  recovery  of 
$1,000  worth  of  stolen  property.  The  capture  was  ef- 
fected in  this  way :     The  officer  observed  a  colored 


CATCHES  THREE  BURGLARS        279 

man  enter  Carriss'  pawnshop  at  492  State  street  with 
a  large  bundle  in  his  hands.  Becoming  suspicious 
that  everything  was  not  right,  he  followed  him  into 
the  place,  and  it  afterwards  proved  to  be  Henry  Kelly, 
who  also  discovered  the  officer.  Kelly  passed  the  bun- 
dle to  one  of  the  clerks,  and,  giving  some  instructions, 
he  passed  out  through  the  rear  into  the  alley. 

Wooldridge  demanded  to  see  the  contents  of  the 
bundle,  and  when  it  was  shown  he  was  surprised  to 
find  it  was  a  handsome  sealskin  cloak  worth  $400. 
The  clerk  informed  the  officer"  that  the  colored  man 
was  unknown,  and  as  he  wanted  to  effect  a  loan  on 
the  garment  and  not  feeling  satisfied  as  to  the  owner- 
ship, he  had  sent  him  to  bring  the  woman  to  whom  it 
belonged.  Wooldridge  instructed  the  clerk  to  ad- 
vance no  money  and  to  hold  the  garment  until  the 
man  who  brought  it  there  returned  for  it. 

The  detective  went  to  a  clothing  store  close  by, 
changed  his  helmet  for  a  soft  hat,  put  on  a  long  rain 
coat  that  completely  covered  his  uniform,  and  the 
disguise  was  quite  appropriate,  as  it  was  raining  hard, 
and  returned  to  the  pawnshop  and  secreted  himself  in 
a  closet  where  he  could  see  and  hear  everything  that 
was  done. 

Here  he  remained  two  hours,  when  a  man  walked 
in  named  Henry  Reed  with  a  note  from  Kelly  to  the 
pawnbroker  to  send  him  $25  on  the  sack.  Carriss  told 
him  he  could  do  no  business  with  any  one  except  the 
man  who  brought  it.  In  a  few  minutes  Kelly,  Reed 
and  a  man  named  Franklin  came  running  into  the 
place,  thinking  Carriss  intended  to  keep  the  sack  with- 
out paying  any  one,   as  is  frequently   done,   and  de- 


280  HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

manded   the   return   of  the   sack   or  money,   or  they 
would  blow  his  brains  out. 

Wooldridge  came  forth  from  his  hiding  place,  and, 
covering  them  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  arrested 
all  three,  landing  them  in  the  station. 

While  they  were  there  being  booked  Mary  Edilston. 
of  371  Clark  street,  entered  the  station  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  saying  that  her  house  at  the  above  number 
had  been  robbed  of  $1,000  worth  of  jewelry  and  cloth- 
ing. She  identified  the  sealskin  sack  Kelly  was  try- 
ing to  pawn.  Kelly  made  a  confession,  telling  where 
the  rest  of  the  property  could  be  found,  and  implicated  > 
Henry  Reed,  .Will  Johnson  and  Frankie  Gregs,  who 
were  arrested.  The  remainder  of  the  goods  had  beert 
spirited  away  to  Twenty-second  street,  where  they 
were  found  and  recovered. 

Frankie  Gregs  jumped  her  bond  of  $500  and  fled  to 
parts  unknown.  October  23,  1895,  the  others  were  ar- 
raigned for  trial  before  Judge  J.  B.  Payne.  Will  John- 
son and  Henry  Reed  were  cent  to  Joliet  penitentiary 
for  an  indefinite  term,  and  Henry  Kelly  was  sent  to 
the  Pontiac  Reformatory. 


SHOT  BY  A  MANIAC. 

OTTO  FIEDER   AND    HENRY   BRANG    MORTALLY   WOUNDED   BY 
JOSEPH    DEVISH,    WHO    IS   ARRESTED. 

Cheap  whiskey  transformed  Joseph  Devish  into  a 
maniac  at  the  junk  shop  of  Otto  Fieder,  200  Fifth 
avenue.  When  the  poison  had  been  thoroughly  dif- 
fused throughout  his  brain,  he  shot  Henry  Brang  in 
the  throat,  the  bullet  passing  down  into  the  man's 
left  lung.     Then  he  shot  the  proprietor.  Otto  Fieder, 


SHOT  BY  A  MANIAC  281 

the  bullet  entering  the  base  of  the  brain  ;ind  plowing 
its  way  down  along  the  spine.  Both  men  were  taken 
to  the  hospital,  and  the  doctor  said  they  would  die. 

After  a  long  search  the  murderer  was  found  with 
two  loaded  guns  by  his  side.  He  was  arrested  after 
a  struggle  with  Detective  Wooldridge  of  the  Harrison 
Street  Station  and  locked  up.  ' 

After  the  shooting  every  one  in  the  neighborhood 
was  in  a  state  of  terror.  A  passing  street  car  loaded 
with  passengers  narrowly  escaped  being  transformed 
into  a  hearse.  The  crack  of  revolvers  and  the  crashing 
of  glass  startled  the  driver  and  he  did  not  stop  lash- 
ing the  "steeds"  until  the  corner  of  Harrison  street 
was  turned.  There  a  stop  was  made  and  several  ex- 
cited persons  began  to  investigate.  Henry  Brang 
was  seen  to  emerge  from  the  junk  shop.  When  he 
reached  the  corner  of  the  street  blood  was  spurting 
from  the  hole  in  his  neck.  He  staggered  from  one 
side  of  the  walk  to  the  other  and  left  behind  him  a 
trail  of  blood.  He  was  conscious  and  warned  every 
one  from  entering  the  junk  shopj  as  Devish  was  a 
maniac.  His  instructions  were  religiously  obeyed. 
He  was  helped  to  the  station,  where  he  lost  conscious- 
ness owing  to  the  great  loss  of  blood. 

When  the  officers  reached  the  scene  of  the  murder- 
ous afifray  the  odor  of  burnt  powder  still  pervaded 
the  place ;  the  upper  windows  were  shattered  by  pistol 
balls,  and  on  the  floor  lay  the  body  of  the  proprietor 
weltering  in  a  pool  of  blood.  His  hair  and  beard 
stuck  to  the  begrimed  floor,  and  it  was  evident  that 
Fieder  was  near  his  end.  After  the  dying  man  was 
sent  to  the  hospital  a  hunt  was  begun  for  the  mur- 
derer. 

The  store  is  a  deep  one  and  runs  from  Fifth  avenue 


282         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  the  alley.  In  the  front  was  a  dimly-lighted  gas  jet, 
and  it  was  the  only  light  to  be  found  in  the  place. 
The  floor  was  covered  with  debris  of  all  descriptions. 
Ax  helves  and  wheel  spokes  were  found  in  different 
parts  of  the  room  stained  with  blood  and  gave  mute 
but  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  battle  having  been 
fought.  The  rear  door  and  windows  were  securely 
barred,  and  it  at  once  dawned  upon  the  officers  that 
the  murderer  was  still  in  the  building. 

Piled  up  as  high  as  the  ceiling  on  either  side  of  the 
room  were  bales  of  rags ;  in  the  rear  were  barrels  of 
iron,  and  this  composed  the  stock  of  Otto  Fieder.  The 
hunt  was  begun,  however,  and  the  sidewalk  was  soon 
vacated  by  various  people.  They  expected  more  shoot- 
ing, but  did  not  wish  to  figure  as  targets.  Every- 
thing was  upturned,  and  at  last  Detective  Wool- 
dridge  saw  the  form  of  a  man  hidden  behind  a  bale 
of  goods  in  the  rear  of  the  store.  He  told  the  fellow 
to  come  out,  but  only  a  few  guttural  sounds  escaped 
him.  Then  the  officers  threw  themselves  on  the  bun- 
dle and  Joseph  Devish  was  a  prisoner. 

When   he   was   brought   under   the   gas   light   two 
heavy    revolvers    with    every    chamber     loaded     were 
.  found  beside  him.    Why  he  did  not  shoot  the  officers 
was  something  left  to  conjecture. 

The  sidewalk  was  again  crowded  with  a  mob,  all 
anxious  to  get  sight  of  the  madman.  He  was  hur- 
riedly loaded  into  a  patrol  wagon  and  driven  to  the 
Harrison  Street  Station.  There  he  was  searched,  and 
besides  the  revolvers  he  had  three  dangerous  looking 
knives  in  his  trousers  pockets.  He  said  he  was  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  a  Pole  and  a  widower.  He  had  two 
children,  a  boy  of  thirteen  living  on  Eighteenth  street 
and  a  married  daughter  living  at  ]\Iarengo,  111. 


JOKE  v>N  A  POLICE  JUSTICE  283 

Fieder  had  a  family  living  on  Division  street,  and 
was  well  known  by  all  junk  men  throughout  the  city. 
He  had  been  in  businjss  at  190  Fifth  avenue  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  accumulated  considerable  money 
owing  to  his  frugal  habits.  Devish  had  been  in  his 
employ  for  eight  years,  and  Brang  had  been  at  work 
but  a  few  days.  Devish  was  intoxicated  when  he 
came  into  the  junk  shop  the  afternoon  before  and  re- 
quested an  advance  on  his  week's  wages.  Fieder  re- 
fused to  comply  with  the  request,  and  Devish  became 
enraged.  He  went  to  his  bunk  in  the  rear  of  the 
shop  and  got  the  two  revolvers,  and  upon  returning 
he  began  to  upbraid  Fieder  and  Brang,  who  were 
sorting  rags  on  stools  near  the  door.  No  attention 
was  paid  to  him,  and  he  went  to  a  German  saloon 
next  door  and  took  a  drink  of  whiskey.  He  was  in  a 
violent  and  abusive  mood  when  he  again  entered  the 
junk  shop.  The  occupants  of  the  rooms  upstairs 
heard  loud  oaths  and  the  shattering  of  glasses. 

Then  the  noise  of ^  gun  shots  followed  and  within 
five  seconds  Devish  had  done  his  deadly  work.  He 
was  arraigned  for  trial  February  15,  1893,  and  on 
March  28  was  given  two  years  in  the  Joliet  peniten- 
tiary by  Judge  J.  Hutchinson. 


JOKE  ON  A  POLICE  JUSTICE 

FAILING    TO    REQUIRE    BONDS    OF    TWO    MEN,    HE    IS    COM- 
PELLED  TO   PAY    THEIR    FINES. 

On  May  22,  1892,  Charles  Chapin  and  Charles  Gal- 
lagher became  involved  in  a  fight  on  Wabash  avenue 


284         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  Hubbard  court.  Detectives  Wooldridge  and 
Winahoven  were  passing  and  separated  them.  In  a 
few  minutes  they  again  began  quarreHng,  using  the 
most  profane  and  vile  language.  They  were  again 
separated  by  the  detectives,  when  Chapin  turned  upon 
Detective  Winahoven  and  struck  him  a  terrible  blow 
in  the  face. 

Both  the  men  then  clinched  and  went  down  together 
with  the  detective  on  top,  and  he  gave  Chapin  a  good 
whipping.  While  this  was  going  on,  a  Wabash  ave- 
nue car  came  along  close  by  the  side  of  the  two  men 
who  were  on  the  ground  in  the  combat.  Some  of  the 
passengers  on  the  car  thought  the  detective  was  un- 
necessarily abusing  the  man  with  whom  he  was  fight- 
ing and  got  ofif  the  car  to  give  assistance  to  the  man. 
They  did  not  interfere^  however,  and  Wooldridge  and 
Winahoven  arrested  Chapin  and  Gallagher,  but  were 
followed  to  the  station  by  the  passengers,  who  wanted 
to  prefer  charges  against  Winahoven.  They  waited 
several  hours  until  Justice  Lyon^  appeared  and  then 
made  a  complaint  to  him  about  the  treatment  Chapin 
had  received,  and  notified  the  justice  that  they  would 
be  on  hand  the  next  morning  to  testify. 

Justice  Lyons  released  the  two  men  on  their  own 
recognizance  and  supposed  they  would  come  before 
him  the  next  morning.  After  the  justice  left  the  sta- 
tion that  night  Wooldridge  had  the  desk  sergeant 
place  the  names  of  Chapin  and  Gallagher  on  the  court 
sheet  of  Justice  Glennon,  who  held  court  in  the  ad- 
joining room.  Next  morning  the  cases  were  called 
early  and  neither  of  them  were  present.  After  hear- 
ing the  evidence,  Justice  Glennon  entered  a  fine  of 
$25  each  and  costs  against  them.     It  turned  out  that 


PREVENTS  A  SAFE-ROBBERY  285 

both  had  given  assumed  names  and  wrong  addresses, 
and  when  they  discovered  they  had  been  fined  they 
left  the  city. 

The  court  sheets  went  to  the  city  comptroller  with 
the  fines  unpaid.  After  three  weeks  of  investigation 
and  worry,  the  comptroller  charged  the  amount  of 
the  fines  to  Justice  Lyons,  who  made  himself  re- 
sponsible by  not  requiring  a  good  bond  from  the  pris- 
oners. There  was  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  settle, 
and  it  cost  him  $52. 

Justice  Lyons  never  knew  until  he  left  the  bench 
of  the  police  court  how  the  little  matter  of  shifting 
the  two  men  into  Glennon's  court  was  accomplished. 
When  he  was  told  of  the  matter  he  enjoyed  a  hearty 
laugh  over  it. 


PREVENTS  A  SAFE-ROBBERY. 

DETECTIVE       WOOLDRIDGE       GETS       INFORMATION       WHICH 
LANDS   A   ROBBER    IN    THE    PENITENTIARY. 

Through  information  secured  from  a  woman,  De- 
tective Wooldridge,  in  the  summer  of  1895,  prevented 
the  blowing  open  and  robbery  of  a  safe.  William 
O'Neil  and  Matt  Kelly,  the  murderer,  ex-convict  and 
safe-blower,  wefe  overheard  by  this  woman  entering 
into  an  agreement  to  rob  the  safe  in  a  ^igar  store  at 
423  State  street.  She  hurriedly  hunted  up  Wool- 
dridge, who  was  on  duty  in  that  locality,  and  dis- 
creetly handed  him  a  small  card,  upon  which  was 
written  the  following  message : 

"Two  men  intend  to  blow  up  a  safe  on  your  post  to-night 
Follow  me,  as  I  cannot  be  seen  in  your  company  on  the  street" 


286         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Wooldridge  followed  some  distance  behind  the 
woman,  who  walked  up  State  street  to  Hubbard 
court ;  then  she  turned  east,  and  crossing  Wabash 
and  Michigan  avenues,  entered  the  Lake  Front  Park, 
selected  a  secluded  spot  near  the  center  of  the  park, 
and  sat  down. 

She  was  soon  joined  by  Wooldridge,  and  in  a  hur- 
ried manner  told  him  that  two  men  were  planning  to 
blow  up  a  safe  at  the  cigar  store  that  night.  She  did 
not  know  the  names  of  the  men,  but  fully  described 
them  to  the  officer,  and  said  that  she  was  quite  sure 
the  job  was  going  to  come  off,  as  she  had  heard  one 
of  the  men  say  he  had  gotten  his  ticket  and  intended 
to  take  the  morning  train  over  the  Grand  Trunk  for 
Canada. 

He  also  said  that  if  he  stayed  in  Chicago  any  longer 
the  men  who  signed  his  bond,  which  was  forfeited, 
would  be  looking  for  him  in  regard  to  the  Taylor 
street  job,  and  if  they  turned  him  over  to  the  police 
they  would  be  sure  to  settle  him. 

Wooldridge  lost  no  time  in  notifying  Lieutenant 
Golden,  who  was  on  duty  at  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion, of  his  information,  and  immediate  steps  were 
taken  to  arrest  Kelly  and  O'Neil  before  they  could  do 
the  job. 

O'Neil  was  arrested  in  one  of  the  saloons  on  State 
street  only  a  few  doors  from  the  place  where  he  in- 
tended to  blow  up  the  safe.  He  was  taken  to  the 
Bureau  of  Identification  next  morning,  and  Lieuten- 
ant Evans  identified  him  and  produced  his  picture. 
O'Neil  at  first  denied  that  he  was  the  man  wanted, 
but  when  Lieutenant  Evans  began  to  read  his  meas- 
urements and  life  scars,  he  weakened  and  admitted 
that  he  was  the  man  wanted. 


JEALOUSY  CAUSES  A  MURDER  287 

On  his  person  he  had  $290,  two  gold  watches  and  a 
ticket  for  Canada  on  the  Grand  Trunk  railway.  He 
was  cleanly  shaved,  and  when  confronted  by  the  two 
officers  who  arrested  him  the  first  time,  they  did  not 
know  him  with  his  whiskers  cut  off. 

On  May  16,  1895,  he  was  arraigned  for  trial  and 
found  guilty  by  a  jury  in  Judge  Neely's  court  and 
sentenced  to  seven  years  at  hard  work  in  Joliet  pen- 
itentiary. 

He  in  connection  with  another  man  unknown  held 
up  and  robbed  a  man  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Tay- 
lor streets  in  1894.  O'Neil  was  arrested  and  indicted, 
He  then  wore  a  full  beard.  He  gave  bond  and  fled  to 
Canada.  This  was  the  Taylor  street  job  which  the 
woman  heard  him  talking  about.  He  returned  to 
Chicago  May  i,  1895.  It  was  soon  after  this  he  and 
Kelly  arranged  to  blow  up  the  safe,  which  was  stopped 
through  the  information  received  by  Detective  Wool- 
dridge. 


JEALOUSY  CAUSES  A  MURDER. 

LOUIS     LEONARD     KILLS     HIS     FELLOW-SERVANT     BECAUSE 
THE    LATTER    WAS   PRAISED   BY    HIS    EMPLOYER. 

Praise  bestowed  upon  a  new  employee  at  a  fash- 
ionable boarding-house  on  Michigan  avenue  caused 
Louis  Leonard  to  commit  murder  September  18,  1895. 
Benjamin  Fenton,  a  trained  nurse  from  Boston,  had 
called  at  this  house  early  that  morning  and  asked  for 
something  to  eat.  He  was  given  a  breakfast,  and 
after  the  meal  he  asked  if  there  was  any  work  about 
the  place  he  could  do  for  what  he  had  eaten.    He  was 


288         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIidE 

given  permission  to  clean  the  yard,  and  when  that  was 
done  he  was  put  to  work  to  ass'*.st  Leonard  in  wash- 
ing the  windows  of  the  house. 

The  work  of  the  stranger  was  praised  by  the  board- 
ing-house mistress,  and  the  remark  made  that  he 
would  be  a  good  man  to  employ  steadily.  Leonard 
had  been  working  there  for  several  weeks,  and  when 
this  remark  was  heard  by  him  he  feared  that  he  was 
going  to  lose  his  place.  From  that  time  until  luncheon 
he  directed  the  work  of  Fenton,  but  the  latter  paid 
no  attention  to  his  commands. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Leonard  went  tc 
the  basement  to  shave  himself.  Fenton  also  went 
there  to  get  a  pail  of  water.  lie  started  upstairs  when 
Leonard  called  out  some  other  orders  and  gave  direc« 
tions  as  to  how  the  work  should  be  done. 

Fenton  replied,  "Fm  not  taking  orders  from  you." 
Leonard  then  started  after  Fenton,  overtaking  him 
on  the  stairway.  He  held  the  razor  with  which  he  had 
been  shaving  in  his  hand,  and  when  Fenton  turned 
around  to  see  what  was  wanted,  Leonard  quickly  drew 
the  blade  across  Fenton's  thigh  just  below  the  abdo- 
men, making  a  gash  six  inches  long  and  severing  the 
main  artery  in  the  leg.  Fentqn  ran  up  the  stairway 
in  the  hall  and  cried  out  that  he  was  killed  and  sank 
to  the  floor, 

Catherine  Carroll,  the  cook,  and  Dollie  Ballard,  the 
dining-room  girl,  heard  the  encounter  and  ran  to  the 
scene  of  the  dispute  just  in  time  to  see  the  murder 
committed. 

Fenton  bled  to  death  before  the  doctor,  who  lived 
only  a  few  doors  away,  c(  uld  arrive  and  stop  the  flow 
of  blood. 


USED  A  HORSE  AND  TACKLF.  289 

Leonard  attempted  to  hide  the  razoi,  when  Dollie 
Ballard  seized  his  arm  and  screamed,  "What  are  you 
doing?"  Leonard  tried  to  throw  her  off,  but  she  held 
to  him  and  secured  a  hold  on  the  razor,  then  closed. 
Catherine  Carroll  went  to  her  assistance  and  they  took 
the  weapon  from  Leonard.  Detective  Wooldridge, 
who  was  near  by,  arrived  on  the  scene,  and,  placing 
the  murderer  under  arrest,  took  him  to  the  Harrison 
Street  Police  Station,  Fenton  was  removed  to  the 
morgue,  where  an  inquest  was  held  the  following  day, 
and  Louis  Leonard  was  held  to  the  grand  jury  for 
murder  without  bail. 

Upon  searching  Fenton's  clothes  letters  were  found 
from  Dr.  Frank  Murphy,  622  North  Main  street,  Bos- 
ton, recommending  him  very  highly  as  a  trained  nurse, 
and  also  one  from  Boston  giving  him  the  best  refer- 
ences as  an  honest,  trustworthy  man.  It  was  very  evi- 
dent that  he  preferred  to  work  rather  than  beg. 

Louis  Leonard  was  arraigned  before  Judge  Payne 
for  murder  November  2y,  1895,  found  guilty  and  sen- 
tenced to  fourteen  years  at  hard  labor  in  Joliet  peni 
tentiary.  « 


USED  A  HORSE  AND  TACKLE. 

HOW    A    HEAVY-WEIGHT    PRISONER    WAS    GOTTEN    OUT    OF 
HER   HOUSE   BY   DETECTIVES. 

The  ingenious  detective  can  always  find  some  way 
to  secure  the  elusive  lawbreakers  if  he  is  an  earnest, 
conscientious  officer.  Detective  Wooldridge  has  en- 
countered a  great  many  obstacles  in  his  secret-service 
work,  but  that  one  which  puzzled  him  most  was  how 


290         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  get  a  prisoner  who  weighed  449  pounds  up  a  nar- 
row, rickety  flight  of  stairs,  which  seemed  scarcely 
strong  enough  to  support  him,  and  he  only  weighed 
158  pounds.  He  finally  got  her  out,  but  it  was  through 
the  back  door,  and  he  did  it  by  the  use  of  a  horse  and 
tackle. 

Susan  Winslow  was  the  prisoner  who  caused  him 
to  use  this  novel  method.  She  was  as  black  as  Ere- 
bus and  lived  in  a  dilapidated  two-story  wooden 
shanty  at  541  Clark  street. 

The  ceiling  was  only  six  feet  high,  and  an  average- 
size  man  could  not  stand  up  without  stooping.  The 
house  was  built  many  years  ago,  when  Clark  street 
had  no  viaduct  at  Twelfth  street,  and  since  the  ap- 
proach to  the  viaduct  has  been  built  the  sidewalk 
comes  even  with  the  roof  of  the  house.  To  enter  the 
house  one  had  to  go  down  a  flight  of  rickety  stairs. 
The  place  contained  only  a  few  old  discarded  pieces 
of  furniture,  and  daylight  could  be  seen  through  the 
sides  and  roof  in  many  places. 

Susan  Winslow  clung  to  this  little  shanty,  paying 
regularly  $40  per  month  rent,  and  during  the  World's 
Fair  $125.  She  conducted  one  of  the  vilest  houses  of 
prostitution  that  was  to  be  found  on  the  levee. 

Susan  adopted  many  novel  ways  of  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  pedestrians  who  passed  along  the  side- 
walk above  her  on  the  busy  thoroughfare.  Among 
them  was  an  old  sheep  bell  which  she  would  ring. 
This  was  supplemented  by  an  old  alarm  clock. 

A  long  time  she  and  the  inmates  attracted  attention 
by  tapping  on  the  window  and  hissing  with  the  mouth 
like  a  rattlesnake.  Finally,  she  rigged  up  an  electric 
battery  and  attached  it  to  the  figure  of  a  woman  with 


USED  A  HORSE  AND  TACKLE  291 

a  metallic  arm  and  hand,  which  would  strike  the  win- 
dow and  rebound,  making  a  motion  to  "come  in." 
This  worked  charmingly  until  Wooldridge  discovered 
it  one  day,  broke  it  up  and  arrested  the  inmates  and 
Susan.  One  case  of  larceny  after  another  occurred, 
and  the  officers  could  get  no  information  or  satisfac- 
tion from  Susan. 

All  that  she  would  say  was  that  it  was  some 
strange  woman  whom  she  did  not  know  and  who 
would  keep  away  from  the  house  until  everything  had 
been  forgotten  and  then  come  back.  Warrant  after 
warrant  was  taken  out  for  her,  but  when  the  officers 
would  go  thet:e  she  would  complain  of  sickness,  heart 
trouble,  etc.  She  would  make  these  various  excuses, 
and  if  this  did  not  work  successfully,  she  would  refuse 
to  go,  and  owing  to  the  narrow  stairway  and  Susan's 
immense  weight  and  size,  each  officer  in  turn  would 
have  to  leave  her  and  give  it  up. 

This  state  of  things  went  on  from  day  to  day  for 
months,  until  one  day  Captain  Koch  called  in  Detect- 
ive Wooldridge  and  gave  him  a  warrant  for  Susan's 
arrest,  with  instructions  to  bring  her  to  the  station. 
He  found  her  in  the  shanty  and  served  the  warrant. 
She  offered  the  heart  trouble  and  sickness  as  an  ex- 
cuse, but  it  did  not  work. 

Finally,  she  sat  down  and  refused  to  go  one  step. 
The  patrol  wagon  was  called  and  every  persuasion 
used  to  get  her  to  go  peaceably,  but  of  no  avail. 
Wooldridge  told  the  wagon  men  to  drive  the  wagon 
to  Taylor  street  and  come  up  the  alley  to  the  rear  of 
the  house.  Two  oak  planks  sixteen  feet  long  and 
twelve  inches  wide  were  laid  in  the  door  and  placed 
on  the  rear  of  the  wagon.     One  horse  was  unhitched, 


292         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

a  big  heavy  rope  was  taken  from  the  wagon,  a  lasso 
was  placed  around  Susan's  waist,  and  the  other  end 
attached  to  the  horse. 

Once  more  Wooldridge  asked  if  she  would  go,  and 
she  refused.  Then  he  told  the  driver  to  start  the 
horse,  which  was  done.  Susan  was  dragged  to  the 
doof  so  quickly  that  she  cried,  "Oh,  stop  the  horse,  I 
will  go." 

The  rope  was  taken  off  and  she  walked  into  the 
wagon  sideways  without  a  word  or  without  any  as- 
sistance. 

This  was  at  i  p.  m.  She  was  released  on  bail  at 
6  p.  m.,  and  sat  down  on  the  steps  leading  to  the 
squadroom  and  demanded  that  the  wagon  take  her 
home  again,  or  she  would  not  move  out  of  the  sta- 
tion. This  was  refused.  Wooldridge  got  an  old  mat- 
tress and  placed  it  on  the  floor  and  told  her  to  make 
herself  comfortable  until  the  bus  arrived  the  next  day 
to  take  the  prisoners  to  the  House  of  Correction,  This 
made  her  so  angry  she  got  up  and  waddled  off  to  her 
shanty.  After  this  the  police  had  no  more  trouble 
with  Susan  Winslow. 


HIGHWAY  ROBBER  IS  CAUGHT. 

COLORED    MAN    ARRESTED    BY    THE    DETECTIVE    WHILE    IN 
THE   ACT  OF   HOLDING  UP   A   FARMER. 

During  the  World's  Fair,  when  Chicago  was  full 
•f  robbers  and  thieves,  Detective  Wooldridge  arrested 
a  highway  robber  after  being  under  fire  from  a  revol- 
ver in  the^hands  of  the  desperate  crook. 


HIGHWAY  ROEBER  IS  CAUGHT  293 

A  farmer  named  Quigley,  who  was  visiting  the 
Fair,  was  in  the  clutches  of  Charles  Sails  on  the  morn- 
ing of  October  25,  1893,  when  Detectives  Wooldridge 
and  Hennessy  observed  what  was  going  on,  and  went 
to  the.  farmer's  assistance. 

Sails  whipped  out  a  revolver  and  fired  two  shots  at 
Officer  Hennessy,  who,  in  attempting  to  get  out  of 
range  of  the  gun,  stumbled  and  fell.  Sails  then  turned 
his  revolver  at  Wooldridge  and  fired  twp  shots  at 
him  in  rapid  succession  at  a  distance  of  five  feet.  One 
of  the  bullets  passed  through  Wooldridge's  coat. 

The  man  then  turned  and  ran  down  an  alley.  Wool- 
dridge supposed  that  Hennessy  was  shot  when  he  fell, 
and,  reaching  into  a  pocket,  he,  with  a  revolver  in 
each  hand,  opened  fire  on  the  fleeing  footpad.  There 
was  a  London  fog  oa  at  the  time,  and  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  see  more  than  a  few  feet  ahead,  but  he  thought 
one  of  the  shots  might  bring  down  the  would-be  mur- 
derer, and  consequently  nine  shots  were  fired  down 
the  alley. 

Officer  Walsh  and  two  more  officers  came  up  and 
also  began  to  fire  after  the  man  as  he  emerged  from 
Plymouth  place,  half  a  square  away.  Wooldridge 
followed  the  man  and  emptied  two  revolvers  shooting 
at  him.  When  he  reached  some  hundred  feet  north 
of  Polk  street,  Sails  stumbled  and  fell,  and  before  he 
could  rise  Wooldridge  was  on  his  back  and  hit  him 
with  the  butt  of  his  revolver  just  as  Sails  was  in  the 
act  of  turning  his  revolver  loose  at  Wooldridge.  Both 
clinched,  and  Hennessy  and  Walsh  came  up  and 
clubbed  Sails  into  submission,  and  then  took  him  to 
the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station, 

The  next  morning  he  was  bound  over  to  the  crim- 
inal court  in  bonds  of  $1,000.     He  was  indicted,  ar- 


294         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

raigned  before  Judge  Chetlain,  and  on  January  15, 
1894,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary 
lor  one  year  at  hard  labor. 


CLEANS  OUT  A  POOL-ROOM. 

WOOLDRIDGE   AND    A    CORPS    OF    ASSISTANTS    MAKE    A    RAID 
ON    DERBY    DAY    AND    ARREST    II 5    SPORTS. 

With  a,  detail  of  eighteen  men  under  his  direction, 
Detective  Wooldridge  made  a  raid  on  a  pool-room 
in  1899  which  was  so  cleverly  and  thoroughly  done 
that  the  proprietor  of  the  place  afterwards  compli- 
mented the  detective  with  the  remark,  "That  was  the 
smoothest  work  I  ever  saw  and  I  take  ofif  my  hat  to 
you." 

The  work  required  a  thorough  and  comprehensive 
inspection  of  every  detail,  not  only  in  making  the  raid, 
but  of  every  door,  window,  stairway  and  skylight  in 
the  building  and  surroundings,  and  all  this  informa- 
tion was  in  the  possession  of  Wooldridge  before  he 
made  the  raid. 

The  place  was  owned  by  Frank  McWaters  and 
was  operated  in  connection  with  his  saloon  at  3846 
State  street.  A  pool-room  had  been  running  in  full 
blast  for  some  time,  and  Wooldridge  was  ordered  by 
Inspector  Hartnett  to  break  it  up.  Then  with  the  as- 
sistance of  Detective  Schubert  they  went  to  work  in 
an  effort  to  find  out  how  the  place  could  be  entered. 

When  Wooldridge  visited  the  saloon  he  found  that 
he  was  known  to  all  the  guards  and  sentinels  on  duty 
at  the  doors,  and  consequently  he  had  to  resort  to 
strategy.     Schubert  disguised  himself  as  a  milkman. 


CLEANS  OUT  A  POOL-ROOM  295 

and  even  hired  a  milk  wagon,  and  in  thig  way  became 
acquainted  with  a  German  saloonkeeper  near  the  pool- 
room. He  visited  this  saloon  frequently  and  talked 
in  German  to  the  proprietor  and  his  porter,  exhibiting 
a  telegram  from  New  Orleans  which  was  supposed 
to  contain  a  tip  on  the  winner  of  a  certain  race. 

The  porter  in  the  saloon  being  known  to  the  pool- 
room keepers  had  no  difficulty  in  gaining  an  entrance 
and  agreed  to  take  Schubert,  who  was  known  as  a 
milkman,  into  the  building  for  the  purpose  of  placing 
a  bet.  After  that  Schubert  had  no  trouble  in  gaining 
admission  and  took  a  careful  survey  of  the  premises 
and  all  the  surroundings. 

He  noted  the  number  of  doors  which  must  be  passed 
to  get  into  the  betting  room,  which  was  in  a  large 
hall  on  the  second  floor  of  a  building  two  doors  north 
of  the  saloon.  In  order  to  reach  the  pool-room  it  was 
necessary  to  pass  through  three  different  doors,  then 
across  a  small  area,  then  up  a  stairway  through  an- 
other door. 

Schubert  kept  the  survey  of  the  rooms,  doors  and 
passages  in  his  mind,  and  he  and  Wooldridge  after- 
wards made  a  diagram  of  the  interior.  Then  they  vis- 
ited the  locality  at  night  and  got  a  diagram  also  of 
the  exterior  and  the  yard  and  alley,  as  well  as  of  the 
streets  adjacent  to  the  saloon  and  pool-room. 

Following  this  they  made  trips  on  the  street  cars 
from  the  saloon  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station  and 
timed  the  cars  to  see  just  how  long  it  would  take  the 
police  and  patrol  wagons  to  reach  the  place.  The 
watches  of  all  the  men  were  compared  in  order  that 
there  should  be  no  mistake  in  executing  the  raid. 

After  all  this  had  been  done  he  reported  his  work 


296         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  Inspector,  Hartnett,  who  then  called  the  detail  of 
men  who  were  going  to  assist  Wooldridge.  He  ad- 
dressed them  and  said  that  every  one  was  under  the 
command  of  Detective  Wooldridge  and  was  expected 
to  obey  him  as  implicitly  and  faithfully  as  if  they  were 
under  the  directions  of  the  captain  of  the  precinct, 
and  any  one  who  failed  to  do  so  would  be  liable  to 
charges  before  the  trial  board. 

At  this  timfe  not  a  single  member  of  the  detail  knew 
what  case  they  were  assigned  to  and  had  no  idea 
where  they  were  going  or  what  the  work  was  to  be. 
They  marched  out  of  the  station  under  Wooldridge's 
command  and  were  divided  into  squads  of  two,  three 
and  four  men,  and  reached  the  location  of  the  pool- 
room at  the  same  time.  Then  these  separate  squads 
were  told  what  their  duty  was.  Every  exit  of  the 
pool-room  was  guarded  by  a  squad  of  men  and  no 
opportunity  was  left  for  any  one  to  escape. 

This  was  on  March  23,  the  day  of  the  Crescent 
City  Derby,  and  the  pool-room  was  crowded  with 
sportsmen  anxious  to  place  a  bet  on  the  great  New 
Orleans  event. 

Schubert  in  his  disguise  as  a  milkman  entered  the 
place  and  took  his  stand  near  the  betting  sheet.  Then 
Wooldridge  entered  the  saloon,  with  his  squad  one 
hundred  feet  away.  When  he  had  gotten  inside  the 
proprietor  of  the  place,  who  recognized  him,  called  a 
halt,  telling  the  detective  he  was  the  owner  .of  the  sa- 
loon and  that  he  was  conducting  it  lawfully  and  would 
permit  no  one  to  search  the  premises  unless  they  had 
the  proper  legal  documents  and  authority  for  that 
purpose. 

Wooldridge    informed    him    that    he   had   warrants 


CLEANS  OUT  A  POOL-ROOM  297 

and  proceeded  at  once  to  serve  them.  In  order  to 
gain  time  and  make  as  much  delay  as  possible,  Mc- 
Waters  said  he  would  admit  the  detective,  but  he 
first  would  have  to  find  the  key  to  the  door  leading 
to  the  rear. 

This  consumed  more  time,  and  the  key  not  being 
found  quick  enough  to  suit  the  detective,  he  broke  in 
the  door,  followed  by  his  squad.  They  went  through 
a  passage  to  the  end  of  the  building  and  found  an- 
other door,  which  was  also  locked,  and  when  the  de- 
mand was  made  that  it  be  opened,  the  excuse  was 
again  offered  that  there  was  no  key. 

The  door  opened  inward,  and  not  being  inclined  to 
wait,  Wooldridge  kicked  out  one  of  the  lower  panels, 
and,  taking  off  his  coat,  crawled  through  this  panel 
and  burst  the  door  open  from  the  other  side.  He 
could  hear  electric  bells  and  alarms  going  ofif  all  over 
the  building,  which  he  knew  was  a  warning  being  sent 
to  those  in  the  pool-room.  This  only  inspired  him  to 
greater  speed  in  reaching  the  premises  where  the  bets 
were  being  made,  and  he  pushed  forward,  going  up  a 
flight  of  stairs,  where  his  progress  was  stopped  by 
another  locked  door. 

He  secured  a  piece  of  timber  about  four  by  six 
inches  in  dimensions,  and  using  it  as  a  battering  ram, 
soon  had  all  the  obstacles  to  his  progress  out  of  the 
way.  Then  he,  with  his  squad,  rushed  into  the  pool- 
room, and  there  "followed  the  greatest  excitement  that 
ever  prevailed  in  that  place. 

When  the  alarm  was  first  given  a  man  who  stood 
near  the  betting  board  started  to  tear  it  from  the  wall, 
but  Schubert,  who  was  already  on  the  inside,  drew  his 
revolver  and  said,  "I  will  take  care  of  that." 


298         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Then  the  cry  of  "Police"  was  started  and  a  scram- 
ble began  for  the  exits,  but  to  the  great  surprise  of 
every  one  in  the  room  it  was  found  that  every  door, 
window  and  skylight  was  guarded  by  a  squad  of  offi- 
cers with  drawn  revolvers. 

Those  on  the  inside  then  began  trying  to  convince 
the  officers  that  it  was  a  political  meeting,  and  one 
who  pretended  to  be  a  candidate  for  some  office  in- 
sisted that  he  was  going  to  make  an  address  to  his 
constituents. 

The  actions  of  the  inmates  of  the  place  were  so 
ludicrous  and  amusing  that  the  officers  had  to  stop 
and  indulge  in  hearty  laughter. 

Twenty  patrol  wagons  stood  below,  having  been 
summoned  from  the  stations  at  a  given  signal  and  upon 
a  certain  time  agreed  upon  before,  and  then  began  the 
work  of  loading  the  racehorse  players  into  the  wagons 
and  landing  them  in  the  station. 

A  dozen  trips  were  necessary  to  take  all  the  prison- 
ers to  the  lock-up,  and  when  the  last  load  was  emp- 
tied, a  count  was  made  and  it  was  discovered  that  115 
prisoners  had  been  brought  from  the  pool-room.  The 
number  did  not  include  several  old  and  feeble  pool- 
room players  whom  the  officers  allowed  to  go  to  their 
homes  without  being  arrested. 

The  raid  was  talked  of  for  many  days  afterwards 
and  spoken  of  by  the  papers  as  one  of  the  most  sen- 
sational and  successful  coups  ever  made  by  the  police, 
and  Wooldridge  was  warmly  congratulated  for  the 
successful  way  in  which  he  carried  out  his  orders  and 
planned  the  capture  of  the  gamblers. 

All  the  prisoners  furnished  bonds,  which  were  signed 
by   McWaters,   for  their  appearance   before   the   police 


PREACHER  GOES  TO  PRISON  299 

judge  the  next  morning.  They  were  then  heavily 
fined  by  the  justice.  Following  this  they  were  indicted 
by  the  grand  jury,  and  it  is  said  the  fight  they  made 
through  the  courts  cost  them  many  thousands  of  dol- 
flars. 


PREACHER  GOES  TO  PRISON. 

Preaching  and  passing  worthless  checks  do  not  go 
well  together,  as  was  demonstrated  when  Detective 
Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  investigate  the  case  of 
Joseph  Williams,  who  had  given  a  piece  of  paper  to  a 
haberdasher  which  he  claimed  was  worth  $i8o  in 
payment  for  $50  worth  of  merchandise,  and  got  a  good 
check  in  change  for  $130. 

The  check  which  the  haberdasher  received  was  found 
to  be  a  forgery,  and  when  the  detective  found  Wil- 
liams he  was  in  a  pawn  shop  trying  to  borrow  money 
on  the  other  check. 

He  was  forthwith  taken  into  custody,  and  after  a  hear- 
ing accorded  to  him  by  Justice  Martin  on  the  24th  day 
of  April,  1899,  he  was  held  in  $800  bonds  to  the  crimi- 
nal court. 

The  grand  jury  returned  a  true  bill  against  him  and 
he  was  arraigned  for  trial,  and  several  weeks  later  he 
was  found  guilty,  and  Judge  Stein  sentenced  him  to 
one  year's  imprisonment  in  the  House  of  Correction. 

Williams  claimed  to  be  a  preacher.  He  said  he 
preached  for  years  in  Champlain,  111.,  and  had  preached 
for  some  time  in   Bethel  Church. 


300         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
LANDS  A  THIEF  I^f  PRISON. 

DETECTIVE  WOOLDRIDGE  PUTS  A  WOMAN   IN  THE  PENITEN- 
TIARY   AFTER    SHE    HAD    BRIBED    AN    OFFICER. 

There  are,  or  have  been,  on  every  poHce  force  in  the 
world  some  men  who  were  dishonest  and  would  shield 
criminals  for  a  consideration.  A  case  of  this  character 
was  exposed,  and  after  the  facts  came  to  light  Detec- 
tive Wooldridge  caught  the  criminal  and  sent  her  to 
the  penitentiary. 

Sam  Borland,  a  farmer  from  one  of  the  interior 
towns  of  Illinois,  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1893  to  visit 
the  World's  Fair  and  buy  goods.  When  his  train 
reached  the  depot  at  Twelfth  street  and  Michigan 
avenue  it  was  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

He-  expected  to  meet  some  friends,  but  was  disap- 
pointed and  started  out  to  walk  to  the  west  side,  where 
he  had  a  brother  living.  On  his  way  he  had  to  pass 
along  Polk  street  and  had  reached  the  alley  between 
State  street  and  Plymouth  place,  half  a  block  east  of 
the  Polk  street  depot.  This  block  is  known  as  "Hell's 
Half  Acre,"  and  is  between  Polk  and  Taylor  streets 
and  State  street  and  Plymouth  place.  The  alley  runs 
south  from  Polk  to  Taylor,  and  is  known  as  "Dead 
Man's  Alley." 

At  the  mouth  of  this  alley  Borland  was  seized  by  a 
powerful  colored  man,  who  threw  his  arms  around 
his  neck,  lifted  him  bodily  off  his  feet  and  carried  him 
some  two  hundred  feet  in  the  alley,  with  his  arms 
pinioned  behind  him.  A  bright-skinned  colored  wo- 
man, who  afterwards  proved  to  be  Minnie  Shouse, 
sprang  forward  and  went  through  his  pockets,  taking 
some  $42  and  a  revolver  that  he  carried. 


LANDS  A  THIEF  IN  PRISON  301 

Borland  shouted,  ''Help!"  "Police!"  but  they  silenced 
him,  separated  and  fled  in  different  directions.  Mr. 
Borland  had  a  good  view  of  Minnie  Shouse,  who  was 
in  front  of  him,  from  a  lamp  which  hung  in  the  rear 
of  Batchelor's  restaurant.  He  pursued  her  down  the 
alley  some  two  hundred  feet  and  overtook  her  in  the 
rear  of  John  Jennings'  saloon,  462  State  street,  just 
as  she  was  entering  an  opium  joint  in  the  basement. 
She  pulled  the  revolver  she  had  just  taken  from  him, 
and  leveling  it  at  his  head,  compelled  him  to  beat  a 
hasty  retreat.  Borland  reported  the  robbery  to  the 
Harrison  Street  Station  the  next  morning  and  a  de- 
scriptive warrant  was  procured,  and  in  company  with 
officers,  he  went  to  the  opium  joint  he  had  seen  the 
woman  enter  the  night  of  the  robbery. 

She  was  arrested,  indicted  and  arraigned  before 
Judge  Chetlain  some  months  later.  While  a  jury 
was  being  impaneled  she  made  her  escape,  but  was 
arrested  several  days  after  and  the  case  set  for  trial 
the  following  morning.  One  of  the  officers  who  had  the 
case  in  charge  took  Borland  from  the  court  room  to  a 
saloon  on  Clark  street  and  told  him  the  case  was  set- 
tled by  the  court,  and  Minnie  Shouse  was  to  return  the 
money  she  had  stolen  from  him.  The  officer  paid  him 
part  of  the  money  and  told  him  he  would  come  to  his 
home  the  following  day  and  pay  him  the  remaining 
$25.  When  'the  case  was  called  by  the  state's  attor- 
ney, Borland  could  not  be  found.  He  secured  tickets 
and  had  orders  given  to  the  officer  to  go  for  Borland. 

The  officer  was  gone  several  days  and  reported  that 
Borland  could  not  be  found,  when,  in  fact,  he  had 
Mever  been  to  his  house,  and  the  case  was  stricken  off 


302         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

with  leave  to  reinstate.  Borland  waited  several  weeks 
for  the  officer  to  come  down  and  bring  him  the  $25, 
but  he  failed  to  do  so. 

He  then  placed  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  an  at- 
torney, who  advised  him  to  go  to  Chicago  and  see  the 
ojfficer.  Upon  arriving  here  he  found  that  the  officer 
had  been  transferred  to  the  Desplaines  Street  Sta- 
tion. He  reported  the  matter  to  Joseph  Kipley,  who 
was  inspector  at  the  station,  and  made  sworn  state- 
ments to  the  facts.  An  investigation  followed,  and  the 
officer  was  discharged  from  the  force. 

The  case  was  reinstated  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Detective  Wooldridge,  and  the  woman  rearrested. 
On  January  21,  1895,  the  case  came  up  before  Judge 
Chetlain.  The  woman  was  found  guilty  and  sen- 
tenced to  one  year  in  the  Joliet  penitentiary  at  hard 
labor. 

Minnie  Shouse  had  been  arrested  three  hundred 
times  and  held  to  the  criminal  court  as  many  as  thir- 
ty-six times  in  a  year,  but  before  the  cases  were  called 
she  managed  to  settle  with  the  victim  by  refunding 
the  money. 

She  always  employed  the  best  counsel.  She  was  a 
good  thief,  and  the  professional  bondsmen  were  al- 
ways ready  to  go  her  b6nd  for  almost  any  amount. 
She  has  been  under  $20,000  bonds  at  one  time  in  va- 
rious cases,  and  she  had  no  trouble  in  furnishing  them. 

Minnie's  old  trick  was  to  snatch  a  man's  hat  ofif  his 
.head,  throw  it  into  a  stair  or  hallway,  and  if  the 
stranger  ever  went  in  after  it  he  was  almost  sure  to 
lose  his  money. 


FOUGHT  FOR  HIS  LIFE  303 

FOUGHT  FOR  HIS  LIFE. 

DESPERATE    ENCOUNTER    WITH    A    BURLY    NEQRO    WHO   AT- 
TEMPTED   MURDER. 

Detective  Wooldridge  took  a  prisoner  to  the  Stan- 
ton Avenue  Police  Station  one  night,  and  when  they 
entered  the  officers  present  thought  both  had  been 
dragged  through  a  slaughter  house.  They  were  cov- 
ered with  blood  from  head  to  foot.  Wooldridge  had  a 
desperate  encounter  with  the  negro,  the  latter  even 
going  so  far  as  to  try  to  murder  the  detective,  and  he 
might  have  succeeded  had  a  Pinkerton  officer  not  gonje 
to  his  assistance. 

On  the  evening  of  August  20,  1891,  while  traveling 
a  beat  at  Thirty-first  and  State  streets.  Officer  Wool- 
dridge was  requested  to  go  to  a  church  in  course  of 
erection  at  Thirtieth  and  Dearborn  streets,  and  stop  a 
fight  which  had  been  going  on  for  some  time.  Al- 
though the  fight  was  not  occurring  in  the  boundaries 
of  his  own  post,  the  intrepid  officer  went. 

Upon  arriving  there  he  found  Nathan  Judd,  a  col- 
ored man,  crazy  with  drink,  and  engaged  in  an  alterca- 
tion with  one  Jim  Miller,  a  colored  watchman  of  the 
church,  who  had  succeeded  Judd  as  a  special  police 
officer. 

Wooldridge  separated  the  combatants  and  succeeded 
in  persuading  Judd  to  go  home,  and  they  left  the 
church'  together. 

Some  three  hundred  feet  from  the  place  Judd  re- 
belled and  broke  away,  saying  he  would  return  and 
whip  Miller,  and  before  Officer  Wooldridge  succeeded 
in  reaching  him,  Judd  and  Miller  again  clinched,  and 


304         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Wooldridge  again  separated  them.  This  so  enraged 
Judd  that  he  threatened  to  whip  Wooldridge,  and  with 
this  intent  struck  him  a  stinging  blow  full  in  the  face 
for  attempting  to  interfere. 

He  also  drew  a  revolver  which  he  had  on  his  person, 
but  the  plucky  officer  was  too  quick  for  him,  and 
brought  his  hickory  baton  down  on  Judd's  cranium 
with  such  force  that  the  hickory  was  splintered.  This, 
however,  only  caused  Judd  to  give  a  little  grunt,  and 
both  clinched.  Judd  managed  to  wrench  the  splint- 
ered baton  from  the  hand  of  the  officer  in  the  scuffle 
and  attempted  to  strike  him. 

At  this  juncture  of  the  proceedings  Wooldridge  suc- 
ceeded in  drawing  his  revolver  and  fired  a  shot  in  the 
air  which  had  the  effect  of  deterring  the  colored  man 
from  striking  him. 

Judd  then  threw  the  baton  down  and  gathered  half 
of  a  brick  and  threw  it  with  all  his  might,  the  missile 
barely  missing  the  head  of  Wooldridge. 

Judd  then  stooped  and  was  raising  another  half 
brick,  but  before  he  had  time  to  straighten  himself  out 
for  the  blow,  he  was  struck  twice  more  by  Officer 
Wooldridge.  Both  again  clinched  and  Judd  struck 
the  officer  a  wicked  blow  with  the  brick  over  the  left 
temple,  inflicting  a  wound  one  and  one-quarter  inches 
in  length  and  severing  an  artery. 

Everything  turned  black  to  the  officer,  and  he  stag- 
gered over  against  the  church,  and  one  of  his  feet 
went  into  a  hole  eighteen  inches  deep,  and  before  he 
could  extricate  himself,  Judd  had  him  by  the  throat. 
With  one  of  his  feet  in  the  hole  Wooldridge  was  at  the 
negro's  mercy. 

The  officer,  however,  gritty  to  the  last,  managed  to 


NOTED  FEMALE  BANDIT  305 

fire  two  shots  into  Judd  which  took  effect  in  his  leg 
above  the  knee.  The  shots  were  intended  for  Judd's 
stomach,  but  were  warded  off  by  the  hand  of  Judd, 
who  all  this  time  still  held  Wooldridge  by  the  throat, 
with  his  head  bent  back  and  his  scalp  opened,  and 
with  one  foot  in  a  hole  eighteen  inches  deep. 

Judd  evidently  intended  to  kill  Wooldridge,  and 
would  have  accomplished  his  design  but  for  the  arrival 
and  timely  assistance  of  a  Pinkerton  detective  named 
Anderson,  together  with  the  watchman  Miller. 

Before  Judd's.  hold  on  Wooldridge  could  be  broken, 
however,  both  men  were  thrown  to  the  ground,  and 
Detective  Anderson  was  compelled  to  pry  one  finger  at 
a  time  from  around  the  officer's  windpipe.  Wool- 
dridge then  took  the  negro,  to  the  police  station. 

The  next  morning  the  throat  of  the  plucky  detective 
was  swollen  out  level  with  his  chin.  Judd  also  had  his 
battle  scars,  he  having  seven  holes  in  his  head,  cut 
through  to  the  bone,  and  two  bullet  holes  in  his  leg. 

Judd  was  held  in  bonds  of  $500  to  the  grand  jury 
and  indicted  for  assault  to  kill. 

He  was  arraigned  for  trial  before  Judge  Driggs 
on  December  i,  1892,  found  guilty  and  his  sentence 
fixed  at  two  years  in  the  penitentiary,  which  was  later 
cut  down  to  two  months  in  the  House  of  Correction. 


NOTED  FEMALE  BANDIT. 

FLOSSIE    MOORE,    WHO    HELD    THE    RECORD   FOR   DARING,    IS 
CONVICTED   AND  GIVEN    FIVE  YEARS. 

The  most  notorious  female  bandit  and  footpad  that 
ever   operated    in    Chicago,    and    unquestionably    the 


306         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

most  successful  and  daring  pickpocket  in  the  United 
States,  was  in  1893  convicted  tKrough  the  efforts  of 
Detective  Wooldridge  and  sent  to  prison  for  five 
years. 

The  woman  is  Flossie  Moore.  She  came  to  Chr'  ■ 
cago  late  in  1889,  having  fled  from  her  home  in  Bos- 
ton, to  escape  the  police  who  were  after  her.  Sh^e 
first  entered  Vina  Fields'  house  at  138-140  Custom 
House  place.  Madam  Fields  keeps  one  of  the  largest 
houses  in  Chicago,  and  at  one  time  had  over  forty- 
women  in  her  establishment.  The  police  never  had 
any  trouble  with  this  house,  and  it  was  never  raided. 
She  had  her  own  rules  and  regulations,  which  were 
rigidly  enforced,  and  she  never  had  to  call  on  the 
police  for  assistance  to  carry  them  out. 

Once  a  week,  and  sometimes  oftener,  she  held  court 
in  her  own  house,  and  was  both  judge  and  jury.  These 
strict  rules  and  discipline  did  not  suit  the  high-strung, 
restless,  self-willed  Flossie,  and  one  day  she  packed 
her  things  and  left.  She  soon  became  one  of  the 
toughest  thugs,  footpads  and  pickpockets  in  Chicago. 
She  has  given  the  police  more  trouble  than  any  five 
women  that  ever  operated  in  Chicago. 

She  has  been  arrested  and  bailed  out  as  many  as 
ten  times  in  one  day.  Flossie  Moore  has  stolen  up- 
wards of  $100,000  since  she  came  to  Chicago,  and  has 
paid  into  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Court  fines  to 
the  amount  of  $8,000  or  $10,000.  She  was  held  to 
the  criminal  court  thirty-six  times  in  one  year.  She 
cared  no  more  for  a  hundred-dollar  fine  than  for  a 
one-dollar  one. 

One  morning  when  she  was  arraigned  before  Justice 
Lyons,  in  1892,  who  fined  her  $100  for  some  of  her 


NOTED  FEMALE  BANDIT  307 

depredations,  she  turned  to  him  and  remarked,  "You 
please  make  it  another  $ioo;  I  have  money  to  burn." 
She  was  accommodated.  Reaching  into  her  bosom, 
she  pulled  out  a  big  roll  of  bills  and  paid  the  two 
fines  and  walked  out  of  court. 

Her  victims  were  mostly  strangers  and  traveling 
men  found  around  the  vicinity  of  the  Polk  street 
depot.  When  she  found  a  man  who  resided  in  Chi- 
cago or  would  remain  here  to  prosecute  her,  she  would 
settle  with  him  by  giving  him  back  his  money. 

She  employed  the  best  of  counsel  and  paid  one 
attorney  a  salary  of  $125  a  month  for  simply  looking 
after  her  cases  in  the  police  court.  She  was  a  great 
money  getter  and  a  clever  thief,  paid  well  for  bonds- 
men and  counsel,  and  could  always  secure  both  at  any 
hour  of  the  day  or  night.  Flossie  has  been  under 
bonds  in  various  cases  pending  in  court  aggregating 
$30,000  at  one  time. 

One  day  she  would  be  seen  with  diamonds  worth 
$2,000,  and  the  next  day  they  would  be  in  the  pawn- 
shop. She  would  attend  colored  balls  in  gowns  worth 
from  four  to  five  hundred  dollars,  and  spend  as  high 
as  $500  for  wine  in  a  night  and  think  nothing  of  it. 
She  lived  with  a  white  man  named  "  Handsome 
Harry  "  Gray,  who  did  not  work.  His  allowance  was 
$25  a  day.  Flossie  would  fall  out  with  him,  go  to  the 
station,  procure  a  warrant  and  have  him  arrested. 
After  he  had  been  in  jail  for  an  hour  or  so,  she  would 
drive  up  in  a  cab  with  a  bondsman  and  take  him  out. 
Everything  would  be  settled,  for  she  never  appeared 
against  him  in  court. 

Flossie  Moore  was  arrested  for  highway  robbery 
by  Detective  Wooldridge  February  17,  1893,  on  com- 


308         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  "CRIME 

plaint  of  C.  S.  Johnson,  a  man  seventy-four  years  of 
age,  with  hair  and  beard  as  white  as  snow.  He  was 
a  retired  merchant  and  was  on  his  way  to  the  Polk 
street  depot  to  take  a  train.  He  rode  down  a  Clark- 
street  car  one  block  further  than  he  should  have  done. 
He  started  to  walk  back  to  Polk  street  on  Custom 
House  place,  and, while  passing  196,  a  house  kept  by 
Sue  Redman,  Flossie  Moore  ran  out  from  the  door- 
way and  grabbed  his  sealskin  cap  and  threw  it  into 
the  hallway  at  the  above  number. 

The  cold  wind  tossed  his  long  silver  locks  to  and 
fro,  while  the  snow  was  falling  on  his  uncovered  head. 
Mr.  Johnson  demanded  the  return  of  his  cap,  and 
was  told  to  go  and  get  it  himself.  When  he  stepped 
into  the  hall,  Flossie  Moore  sprang  on  him  like  a 
man-eating  tigress.  She  was  assisted  by  Irene  Moore, 
and  before  the  old  man  knew  what  was  going  on  they 
closed  the  door,  pinioned  his  arms  behind  him  and 
took  $42  out  of  his  pocket.  He  fought  desperately, 
and  his  coat  and  vest  were  nearly  torn  off  him. 

Irene  Moore  was  arrested  a  few  hours  afterwards, 
Flossie  kept  out  of  sight  until  two  days  later  she  was 
seen  on  the  street  and  followed  by  Wooldridge  into 
a  thieving  dive  kept  by  Lizzie  Davenport,  202  Custom 
House  place,  which  was  her  headquarters.  When  she 
ran  into  this  place  she  went  through  to  the  alley. 
Wooldridge  knew  she  would  return,  and  hid  himself 
under  a  bed,  where  he  remained  two  hours  and  a 
half  before  she  returned.  Soon  the  panel  workers 
began  to  collect.  The  doors  had  been  barred  and 
locked  after  a  search  had  been  made  for  Wooldridge, 
who  they  supposed  had  passed  through  the  house  into 
the  alley. 


NOTED  FEMALE  BANDIT  309 

They  were  having  a  good  time ;  each  was  telling 
in  triumphant  glee  of  robberies  committed  in  the  face 
of  the  law,  and  defying  detectives,  while  they  laughed 
at  the  discomfiture  of  their  victims.  Not  a  conscience 
was  stricken  in  that  band  of  thieves  and  not  a  pang 
of  regret  or  a  thought  of  the  future  marred  the  gath- 
ering. 

Flossie  had  sent  a  messenger  to  see  if  Wooldridge- 
had  gone  and  if  the  coast  was  clear.  An  affirmative 
answer  was  sent,  and  she  soon  arrived  in  a  cab  and 
was  received  with  much  joy. by  the  gang  of  robbers 
and  fobtpads.  They  were  still  drinking  and  telling 
stories  when  Wooldridge  crawled  from  under  the  bed 
in  the  adjoining  room  and  walked  in  where  they  were. 
They  were  dumfounded  when  he  entered  the  room. 
How  he  got  into  the  house  was  a  mystery  to  them ; 
the  doors  were  examined  and  found  still  locked ;  no 
tracks  were  found  in  the  snoAv,  and  every  room  had 
been  searched  for  him  before.  Wooldridge  notified 
Flossie  that  he  had  a  state  warrant  for  her  arrest. 
She  replied  that  she  had  done  nothing  and  would  not 
submit  to  an  arrest,  and  called  on  her  companions  in 
crime  to  assist  her.  Several  sprang  to  their  feet  and 
swore  that  she  should  not  be  arrested.  There  were 
over  a  dozen  footpads,  colored  women,  thugs  and 
toughs  present,  and  it  was  an  exciting  time  for  a  few 
minutes.  It  was  a  guess  as  to  what  would  occur 
next,  but  the  plucky  little  detective  backed  up  in  a 
corner,  pulled  two  revolvers,  and  with  one  in  each 
hand  told  them  that  the  first  one  that  made  a  move 
would  get  his  head  blown  ofif.  He  told  them  that  he 
held  a  state  warrant  for  Flossie  Moore's  arrest  and 
that  he  would   take  her  dead  or  alive ;  and  that  the 


310         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

first  one  that  would  interfere  with  him,  he  would  kill. 
No  one  moved,  and  with  one  gun  in  one  hand,  he 
drew  out  the  warrant  with  the  other  and  read  it  aloud 
to  her.  She  first  offered  him  $25  to  let  her  go  until 
the  next  morning;  then  $75,  which  was  refused.  She 
was  taken  to  the  station  and  booked,  and  the  next 
morning  arraigned  for  trial.  Sadie  Jordan,  a  colored 
woman  who  saw  the  robbery  from  the  hall  above, 
while  testifying,  was  attacked  by  Flossie  Moore  with 
a  knife  having  a  blade  four  inches  long. 

Had  it  not  been  for  Wooldridge,  she  would  have 
killed  the  witness,  he  grabbing  her  arm  as  she  was  in 
the  act  of  driving  the  blade  through  the  Jordan  wom- 
an's breast.  For  his  interference  Flossie  gave  Wool- 
dridge a  stunning  blow  in  the  face. 

Justice  Lyons  held  her  in  bonds  of  $3,000  to  the 
criminal  court,  and  in  a  few  days  she  was  indicted  for 
robbery.  Sadie  Jordan's  life  was  threatened  by 
Flossie  Moore,  and  she  appealed  to  the  grand  jury 
and  to  Wooldridge  for  prbtection. 

Wooldridge  secured  a  room  for  her  at  the  rear  of  a 
building  at  Fifth  avenue  and  Sherman  street,  took  up 
a  collection  from  the  inspectors,  lieutenants  and  offi- 
cers, and  paid  her  expenses  until  March  10,  nearly 
four  weeks.  The  detective  contributed  $20  himself. 
When  the  case  was  placed  on  call  the  Jordan  woman 
was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Annex,  and  at  the 
proper  time  sent  over  under  police  protection  in  the 
wagon. 

March  6,  1893,  Flossie  Moore  was  arraigned  before 
Judge  Dunne.  She  was  represented  by  one  of  the 
ablest  attorneys  in  Chicago,  and  after  one  of  the  most 
exciting   trials    ever   held   in    the   criminal    court,   the 


NOTED  FEMALE  BANDIT  311 

jury  gave  her  five  years  at  hard  labor  in  the  Joliet 
penitentiary. 

One  thousand  dollars  was  offered  Wooldridge  to 
use  his  influence  in  clearing  the  woman.  He  was  also 
offered  $500  to  tell  where  Sadie  Jordan  could  be  found. 
It  was  refused;  they  picked  the  wrong  man  to*bribe. 
They  attempted  to  prove  an  alibi  by  Susie  Redman 
and  Irene  Moore,  who  were  arrested  for  perjury  when 
they  came  off  the  stand.  A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  was 
gotten  out  for  their  release  the  next  morning,  but  they 
were  ordered  remanded  to  jail.  They  next  tried  to 
prove  that  Flossie  Moore  was  ujider  age,  also  that 
she  was  arrested  while  in  attendance  on  the  police 
court,  and  that  the  whole  prosecution  was  a  persecu- 
tion. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  day  excitement  ran  high,  and 
the  court  room  was  filled  with  notorious  levee  char- 
acters willing  to  swear  to  anything.  On  the  second 
day  Wooldridge  brought  twenty  officers,  the  matrons, 
lock-up  keepers,  justice's  clerks,  court  records,  arrest 
books,  desk  sergeant,  warrants  on-  which  she  was  ar- 
rested, also  the  bail  bond  which  released  her,  and 
informed  the  attorney  that  he  was  prepared  for  any- 
thing that  defense  might  hatch  up.  After  Wooldridge 
arrived  with  his  force,  all  the  evidence  that  the  defense 
had  procured  and  offered  crumbled  to  pieces,  and  they 
did  not  have  a  leg  to  stand  on.  Flossie  Moore  was 
said  by  Jailer  Morris  to  be  the  most  troublesome  per- 
son that  the  jail  had  held  for  years.  She  was  con- 
stantly fighting  with  some  one,  and  it  made  but  little 
difference  with  her  whether  it  was  a  man  or  woman. 

Some  twenty-six  colored  women  were  confined  in 
the  jail  at  this  time,  when  a  dispute  occurred  between 


312         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Flossie  Moore  and  Minnie  Davis,  another  colored 
woman,  each  one  of  them  representing  a  faction. 
Flossie  Moore  picked  up  a  three-legged  stool,  sailed 
into  them,  and  scattered  them  right  and  ieft.  Several 
were  quite  seriously  injured.  The  matron  and  guards 
who  interfered  were  roughly  handled  and  put  to  flight 
by  the  infuriated  woman.  It  took  the  combined 
efforts  of  all  the  guards  and  deputy  sheriffs  at  the  jail 
to  overcome  her.  Flossie  is  said  to  be  the  hardest 
woman  to  handle  that  ever  was  confined  in  the  Joliet 
penitentiary.  On  two  occasions  she  assaulted  the 
matron,  once  nearly  killing  her.  She  spent  over  six 
months  in  solitary  confinement,  and  at  one  time  they 
had  to  pl^ce  over  two  hundred  pounds'  weight  on  her 
to  keep  her  down. 

Her  ill-gotten  gains  were  spent  as  fast  as  they  came 
into  her  possession,,  and  when  she  was  sent  to  the  pen- 
itentiary she  had  nothing. 

After  serving  her  term  at  Joliet,  she  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  to  her  old  life  again.  She  finally  went  East 
and  was  arrested  in  Buffalo  and  given  time  to  leave 
the  city.  In  November,  1899,  she  was  fined  $25  for 
some  offense  in  Pittsburg,  and  later  was  reported  to 
be  on  trial  in  New  York  with  good  chance  of  going 
to  Sing  Sing. 


CLEANS  OUT  "COON  HOLLOW." 

ONE    OF    THE    TOUGHEST    LOCALITIES    ON    EARTH      TRANS- 
FORMED    BY    DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE. 

There  are  many  places  in  this  world  called  "  Hell's 
Half  Acre,"  and  according  to  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible,  there  is  a  place  in  another  world,  which,  if  all 


CLEANS  OUT  "COON  HOLLOW"  313 

criminals  who  inhabit  these  places  on  earth,  visit 
after  their  departure,  must  contain  more  than  half  an 
acre,  or  there  will  not  be  room  enough  for  them. 

Chicago  once  had  a  "  Hell's  Half  Acre  "  which  had 
a  better  right  to  the  title  perhaps  than  any  place  this 
side  of  the  hereafter.  It  was  a  continual  scene  of 
revelry,  debauchery,  depravity,  and  every  sin  and 
crime  in  the  blood-stained  catalogue  of  vice.  Its 
crimes,  sad  to  relate,  were  of  the  lowest  and  vilest 
nature.  The  most  defiant  and  reckless  characters  that 
ever  menaced  society  made  this  place  their  home. 
Men  and  women  who  openly  defied  the  statutes  of 
both  city  and  state  and  flaunted  their  vices  in  the 
face  of  virtue,  thronged  this  mart  of  wickedness  and 
corruption  day  and  night.  It  was  a  hotbed  of  crime 
and  a  cesspool  of  vice. 

In  1893,  1894  and  1895  there  was  no  place  in  Chi- 
cago or  in  the  whole  country  which  could  compare 
with  it  in  depravity.  It  compassed  then  that  portion 
of  State  street  between  Polk  and  Taylor  streets.  An- 
other section  of  this  "  Satan's  Mile  "  which  began  at 
Taylor  street  was  called  "  Coon  Hollow,"  on  account 
of  the  large  colored  population,  permanent  and'  float- 
ing, which  thrived  there.  Every  house  was  a  saloon 
or  barber  shop  or  a  house  of  ill-fame.  Games  of  every 
description  were  conducted  openly  and  in  defiance  of 
the  law.  The  famous  "crap"  game  was  in  full  blast, 
and  "stud  poker"  was  played  from  darkness  iuitil 
dawn.  Lottery  tickets  were  sold  without  hesitation 
over  the  bars,  and  it  was  the  paradise  of  the  "policy" 
player. 

On  the  sidewalk  outside  negroes  from  the  west  side 
and  from  the  depots  of  the  neighborhood,  the  latter 


NIGHT  SCENES  ON  THE  LEVEE. 


CLEANS  Or.  r  "COON  HOLLOW"  315 

Pullman  and  dining-t  ir  employes,  stood  and  com- 
mented in  loud  tones  m  respectable  looking  passers- 
by,  told  filthy  stories  i\.  the  hearing  of  all  who  walked 
along,  and  sang  ribald  s^nngs. 

They  had  things  about  their  own  way,  both  inside 
and  out,  and  a  brawl  was  of  almost  daily  occurrence. 

All  night  long  cabs  and  hacks  drove  up  to  these 
doors  to  unload  their  occupants,  and  at  all  hours  after 
dark  painted  females,  half-clad  in  finery,  walked 
around  in  company  with  their  low  male  escorts  and 
held  high  carnival  in  the  little  dens  called  "private 
wine  rooms." 

These  long  rows  of  bawdy-houses  and  saloons, 
which  never  closed,  were  frequented  by  women  of  all 
ages,  colors  and  degrees  of  depravity.  They  went 
from  house  to  house  in  this  awful  locality,  singing  and 
yelling  coarse  jests  and  investing  their  money  in  cheap 
champagne  with  the  idea  they  were  having  a  good 
time.  The  tough  saloons  in  this  district  did  but  little 
business  during  the  daytime,  but  after  dark  they 
reaped  their  harvest.  Their  barkeepers,  porters  and 
bouncers  were  equal  to  any  emergency.  Even  the 
children  here  were  taught  to  steal.  Barefooted  boys 
would  run  out  and  jump  on  the  footbars  of  the  street 
cars  as  if  to  steal  rides,  and  then  snatch  pocketbooks 
from  women.  These  places  were  the  resort  of  the 
most  desperate  burglars,  thieves  and  sure-thing  gam- 
blers. Midnight  thieving  raids  were  planned  in  the 
back  rooms ;  the  criminal  went  there  for  protection, 
and  in  the  neighborhood  were  "fences"  and  pawn- 
shops in  wlack  stolen  property  was  disposed  of. 

There  is  another  place  in  "  Hell's  Half  Acre  "  called 
"Dead  Man's  Alley."  It  is  about  thirty  feet  wide 
and  runs  from  Polk  to  Taylor  street. 


310         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

This  alley  is  frequently  selected  by  footpads,  high- 
waymen, strong-arm  women  and  robbers  as  a  place 
in  which  to  divide  their  stolen  property,  and  many 
an  exchange  and  division  has  been  made  there. 

It  was  no  unusual  thing  to  see  from  one  to  two 
hundred  men,  women  and  children,  both  black  and 
white,  in  "Dead  Man's  Alley"  at  one  time,  soiViC 
engaged  in  pitching  quoits  and  horseshoes,  some  in 
dog  fighting,  card  playing,  crap  shooting  and  telling 
filthy  and  vulgar  stories,  while  others  lay  on  the 
garbage  boxes  or  in  the  old  hacks  and  slept  off  the 
effects  of  a  night's  dissipation. 

Daily  complaints  were  made  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  of  robberies,  cutting  or  shooting  affrays  which 
occurred  in  "  Dead  Man's  Alley,"  and  as  sure  as  a 
peddler  or  stranger  passed  this  alley  he  was  held  up. 
Down  on  the  corner  of  Taylor  street  and  Plymouth 
place  was  as  tough  a  gang  of  colored  robbers,  high- 
waymen and  murderers  as  was  ever  outside  of  prison 
walls  or  escaped  the  hangman's  rope. 

The  gang  was  broken  up  finally  by  Detective  Woold* 
ridge,  eight  or  ten  having  been  sent  to  the  peniten- 
tiary and  one  Henry  Foster,  alias  "  Black  Bear,"' 
having  been  hanged  July  i,  1895,  for  the  murder  of 
Frank  Wells,  a  saloonkeeper. 

Wooldridge  was  specially  selected  to  put  a  stop  to 
complaints  from  this  quarter  and  drive  out  this  ele- 
ment of  lawbreakers.  He  went  to  work  on  this  duty 
one  night  at  roll-call. 

He  asked  the  lieutenant  to  send  fourteen  men  with 
him  for  half  an  hour,  which  was  done.  Dividing  them 
into  squads  of  two,  three  and  four,  each  squad  boarded 
a  State  street  car,  getting  off  at  the  various  saloons 


CLEANS  OUT  "  COON  HOLLOW  "  317 

the  saloons  to  "Dead  Man's  Alley,"  which  is  about  be- 
tween Polk  and  Taylor  streets  and  passing  through  the 
center  of  "'Coon  Hollow."  The  alley  was  packed  with 
people,  at  least  three  hundred  being  in  sight. 

Wooldridge  was  in  advance,  and  sorne  one  yelled, 
"Here  comes  Wooldridge !"  This  was  enough  to 
start  them  all  on  a  run,  but  when  an  officer  emerged 
from  almost  every  saloon  door  leading  to  the  alley,  it 
created  the  wildest  confusion,  every  one  trying  to 
find  some  place  to  escape.  They  ran  into  and  over 
each  other.  Some  lost  their  coats  and  hats.  Knives, 
guns  and  razors  and  weapons  of  all  kinds  were  thrown 
away.  They  climbed  upon  each  other's  back  and  tried 
to  scale  the  twelve-foot  board  fence  on  'the  east  side 
of  the  alley. 

They  raised  a  cloud  of  dust  equal  to  a  stampeded 
herd  of  wild  buffaloes,  and  that  day  will  long  be  re- 
membered by  the  levee  inhabitants.  When  the  dust  had 
settled  down  enough  for  them  to  see  each  other  each 
officer  had  from  one  to  three  prisoners. 

Wooldridge  then  commenced  on  the  strong-arm 
women  and  footpads,  and  by  eleven  o'clock  at  night 
he  had  nineteen  of  the  toughest  characters  in  "Coon 
Hollow"  under  lock  and  key.  Warrants  were  taken 
out  for  every  thieving  house  of  prostitution  in  this 
block,  and  several  were  raided  the  following  day. 

Wooldridge  concluded  to  give  them  another  sur- 
prise. He  had  been  doing  night  duty,  but  on  this 
morning,  after  getting  through  his  court  cases,  he 
took  four  men  and  went  into  Plymouth  place.  As 
soon  as  he  was  seen,  there  was  another  stampede 
equal  to  the  one  of  the  evening  before.  Two  big, 
powerful    colored    men    made   a    rush    for   the    rear    en- 


318         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WO. rLD  OF  CRIME 

trance  to  John  Johnson's  saloon  at  464  State  street 
through  which  they  expected  to  escape.  There  was 
a  strong  storm  door  at  this  entrance,  and  these  two 
men  and  the  many  others  who  were  in  the  rush,  car- 
ried the  door  off  its  hinges  and  jammed  it  against  the 
inner  door  and  wall.  The  big  fellows  shoved  and 
scrambled  and  even  butted  with  their  heads  in  their 
frantic  effort  to  get  away.  Those  in  the  rear  kept 
pushing,  not  knowing  the  way  was  barred,  and  many 
JD  front  were  severely  hurt. 

Seven  arrests  were  made  on  this  trip,  Wooldridge 
repeated  the  cleaning  up  of  the  alley  the  following 
day,  serving  vagrancy  warrants  on  every  crook  and 
loafer  he  could  la}^  his  hands  on. 

A  dozen  of  the  highwaymen  and  robbers  on  whom 
Wooldridge  was  waging  a  relentless  warfare  got  to- 
gether on  the  morning  of  July  4,  1895,  and  formed  a 
plot  to  kill  Wooldridge  and  get  him  out  of  the  way. 
They  concluded  that  the  night  of  July  4,  when  every 
one  was  firing  ofFrevolvers  and  celebrating,  would  af- 
ford the  best  opportunity.  They  imagine(^  it  would 
be  an  easy  thing  to  shoot  him  from  one  of  the  win- 
dows or  from  a  house-top  while  he  was  on  duty  pa- 
trolling his  post,  and  no  one  would  know  where  the 
shot  came  from,  as  there  was  shooting  from  every  di- 
rection. 

An  oath  of  secrecy  was  taken  by  all  present,  and 
lots  drawn  to  see  who  was  to  do  the  deed.  In  all 
probability  their  plan  would  have  been  carried  out 
had  it  not  been  for  a  colored  woman,  who  was  watch- 
ing them  and  heard  the  whole  plot,  and  who  went 
with  the  information  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station. 

Captain  Koch  and  Lieutenant  Laughlin  were  noti- 


WORE  A  GAINSBOROUGH  HAT  3Ki 

fied,  and  upon  investigation  found  the  report  to  bv 
true.  They  took  immediate  steps  to  protect  Wool- 
dridge  by  placing  three  additional  officers  in  full  uni- 
form with  him,  and  also  placing  six  men  in  citizen's 
clothes  on  this  post.  Every  man  they  met  was 
searched  for  a  gun ;  every  crook,  vagrant  and  thief 
that  they  could  lay  their  hands  on  was  placed  under 
lock  and  key  in  the  station,  and  by  eleven  o'clock 
that  night  there  was  no  square  in  the  city  quieter 
than  the  one  this  officer  patroled,  and  in  two  weeks' 
time  "Coon  Hollow"  and  the  whole  neighborhood  for 
half  a  mile  in  every  direction  had  undergone  the  most 
remarkable  change  known  to  police  history,  and  this 
change  was  apparent  for  a  long  time  thereafter.    . 


WORE  A  GAINSBOROUGH  HAT. 

SADIE    GOFF    DISGUISES     HERSELF    AND    PASSES    FOR     KATF 
WILSON    AND    IS    ARRESTED. 

By  wearing  a  Gainsborough  hat  of  large  propor- 
tions and  a  blonde  wig  and  a  sufficient  amount  of 
grease  paint,  Sadie  GofT,  a  notorious  pickpocket,  suc- 
ceeded in  eluding  detection  by  the  police  for  several 
months.  When  she  changed  her  make-up  she  also 
changed  her  name,  and  instead  of  Sadie  Goff  she  be- 
came Kate  Wilson,  and  thus  carried  on  the  little  ro- 
mance of  robbing  strangers  and  laughing  at  the  police 
for  a  long  tome. 

Frequently  the  officers  had  gone  out  to  look  for 
Sadie  Goff,  and  in  looking  around  the  vicinity  in 
which  they  thought  Sadie  might  be  found,  they  would 


320 


HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


encounter  the  Gainsborough  hat  and  the  blonde  hair. 
As  Sadie  was  a  Creole  with  jet  black  tresses  which 
were  inclined  to  be  kinky  without  thi;  use  of  a  curl- 
ing iron,  Kate  Wilson  was  never  suspected  of  conceal- 
ing the  identity  of  Miss  Goff. 

Once  the  auburn-haired  Kate  was  seen  coming  out 
of  the  place  where  Sadie  Goflf  had  lived,  and  when  the 


WHITENING  HER  FACE. 


officers  questioned  her  as  to  Sadie's  whereabouts  they 
thought  a  blizzard  had  struck  them,  Kate  gave  them 
such  a  cold  stare  along  with  the  information  that  she 
had  nothing  to  do  with  such  people,  that  the  officers 
turned  up  their  collars  and  sought  warmer  quarters. 
Reports  of  Sadie's  robberies  and  vices  would  con- 
tinually reach  the  officers,  and   although  they  knew 


WORE  A  GAINSBOROUGH  HAT  321 

she  did  not  leave  town,  it  seemed  impossible  to  locale 
her. 

One  day,  however,  Detective  Wooldridge  armed 
himself  with  a  warrant  and  started  out  to  see  if  he 
could  unravel  the  mystery  and  solve  the  hidden  ro- 
mance of  the  blonde  head  and  Gainsborough  hat  of 
Miss  Wilson.  One  of  Sadie  Goflf's  victims,  who  said 
he  had  contributed  under  protest  $80  to  her,  went 
along  with  the  detective  to  identify  the  woman. 

They  first  went  to  the  house  at  450  State  street, 
where  Sadie  was  known  to  have  lived  last.  Nothing 
could  be  seen  of  her  there,  however,  and  finally  the 
detective  said  he  was  going  to  get  her  if  he,  in  doing 
so,  was  forced  to  arrest  every  one  in  the  house. 
Then  one  of  the  inmates  told  him  Sadie  was  upstairs. 

The  detective  went  into  the  room  designated  and 
saw  there  the  young  woman  with  the  blonde  hair 
who  posed  as  Kate  Wilson.  She  was  very  indignant 
because  the  officer  had  dared  to  come  into  her  pres- 
ence without  an  invitation. 

"How  dare  you?"  she  demanded,  angrily.  "Don't 
you  know  me?" 

"I  don't  say  positively  that  I  know  you,"  answered 
the  detective,  "but  you  and  your  pink  hair  and  your 
big  hat  must  go  with  me  to  the  station  and  explain 
how  it  is  that  you  always  happen  to  be  around  when 
we  are  looking  for  Sadie  Goff." 

Miss  Wilson,  as  she  called  herself,  shed  a  few  tears 
and  prepared  to  go  to  the  station.  While  she  was 
making  preparations  for  this  hazardous  visit.  Detect-^ 
ive  Wooldridge  caught  up  a  tiny  ringlet  that  hung 
from  her  head,  and  giving  it  a  slight  jerk  removed  :i 
wig,  and  not  much  to  his  surprise  revealed  the  black, 


&22         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

curly  head  of  Sadie  Goff.  After  a  short  search,  the 
other  paraphernalia  which  was  used  to  make  up  Kate 
Wilson  was  found  and  went  along  with  Sadie  to  the 
police  station. 

The  case  was  continued  ten  days,  during  which 
time  the  woman  settled  with  the  complaining  witness, 
and  he  refused  to  prosecute.  The  case  was  then  dis- 
missed. 


GIVES  DETECTIVE  A  BLACK  EYE. 

FARMER   MISTAKES   AN   OFFICER  FOR    A   FOOTPAD   AND   HAS 
A    "scrimmage." 

A  farmer  from  western  Iowa  mistook  Detective 
Wooldridge  for  a  hold-up  man  one  night  in  February, 
1896,  and  undertook  to  defend  his  pocketbook,  which 
he  thought  was  going  to  be  taken  away  from  him. 

When  the  trouble  was  over  Wooldridge  had  a  black 
eye,  and  the  farmer  was  in  the  station.  When  the 
countryman  told  how  it  happened,  in  the  Armory 
Police  Court,  the  next  morning,  the  crowd  roared  with 
laughter. 

He  said  he  was  talking  to  a  lady  when  these  men 
came  along.  The  men  pointed  out  were  Detectives 
Wooldridge  and  Schubert.  They  wore  plain  clothes 
and  a  broad  grin. 

"They  pushed  me  into  a  doorway,  and  I  thought 
they  meant  to  hold  me  up,"  explained  the  farmer.  'T 
read  the  papers  too  much  to  get  caught  in  such  a  trap 
as  that,  so  we  had  a  scrimmage." 

The  farmer  kept  on  talking  for  six  minutes  before 
he    could   be    stopped,    when    he    was    told   that    if   he 


CAT  UNEARTHS  A  MURDER  323 

would  apologize  to  the  officers  and  pay  the  costs  he 
could  go. 

When  Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  met 
the  farmer  on  Wabash  avenue,  he  had  just  arrived  in 
Chicago  from  his  farm,  and  had  in  his  possession  a 
large  amount  of  money.  Kittie  Odell  and  several 
other  women  found  him,  when  Detectives  Wooldridge 
and  Schubert  saw  them,  and  going  up  to  the  stranger 
gave  him  warning  against  going  with  the  women. 

He  did  not  know  what  a  detective  was,  but  had  read 
much  of  highwaymen  and  robbers,  and  at  once  con- 
cluded that  the  officers  were  going  to  rob  him.  He 
sized  both  officers,  and  then  suddenly  threw  himself 
upon  them  and  succeeded  in  giving  Wooldridge  a 
colored  and  somewhat  swollen  eye  before  he  was  over- 
powered. 

When  the  officers  explained  to  him  that  they  saved 
him  from  being  robbed  of  all  his  moneyy  he  was  very 
grateful  and  said  he  was  very  sorry  he  had  struck 
Wooldridge,  declaring  he  did  not  know  what  the  men 
were,  never  having  heard  of  a  detective. 


CAT  UNEARTHS  A  MURDER. 

STRANGE    CLEW    FURNISHED    WHICH    CAUSED   THE   ARREST 

OF    AN    ASSASSIN. 

Once  in  the  career  of  Detective  Wooldridge,  a  cat — 
a  black  cat — furnished  him  a  clew  and  the  evidence  by 
which  he  found,  arrested  and  convicted  a  murderer 

A  wealthy  old  gentleman  had  been  shot  and  killed, 


324         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  his  safe  robbed  of  a  large  sum  of  money,  while- 
his  family  was  in  a  room  only  a  few  feet  away. 

The  victim  of  the  robber  had  left  the  parlor,  where 
his  son,  daughter  and  wife  were  sitting,  and  had  gone 
across  to  the  library  to  write  some  letters. 

Behind  the  old  man  stood  the  safe,  which  was  opened 
and  which  contained  the  money  stolen  by  the  robber. 
After  the  victim  of  the  robber  had  been  gone  some 
time,  his  daughter  began  to  wonder  what  kept  him  so 
silent,  as  he  usually  spoke  to  the  members  of  his  fam- 
ily through  the  doors  of  the  library  and  parlor. 

She  asked  her  mother  what  she  thought  of  her 
father's  silence.  The  mother  answered  that  she  sup- 
posed he  was  busy  writing,  but  the  daughter  thought 
he  must  have  gone  to  sleep,  and  resolved  to  investi- 
gate. 

When  she  reached  the  library,  she  went  to  her 
father's  side  and  told  him  to  wake  up,  as  it  was  growing 
late.  No  answer  came,  and  when  she  tried  to  arouse 
him,  she  saw  that  life  was  extinct. 

"My  God !"  she  exclaimed,  "he  is  dead,  he  is  dead !" 

The  piercing  screams  of  the  daughter  were  heard 
by  the  mother  and  brother,  who  rushed  into  the  library 
to  find  the  father  a  corpse.  He  had  been  shot  through 
the  heart  and  his  safe  robbed  while  his  family  sat  not 
thirty  feet  away,  and  no  one  heard  a  sound. 

At  the  post-mortem  examination  the  physician 
found  in  the  dead  man's  body  a  curious  missile  partly 
in  the  shape  of  a  bullet  and  partly  in  the  shape  of  a 
dart.  It  was  a  little  more  than  an  inch  long.  The 
point  was  sharp  and  had  three  faces  or  flat  sides 
which  ran  back  towards  the  body  of  this  instrument 
of  death. 


CAT  UNEARTHS  A  MURDER  325 

Experts  were  called  in,  and  it  was  said  that  the 
missile  had  been  thrown  by  some  peculiar  force,  such 
as  compressed  air  or  electricity. 

It  was  certain  that  powder  could  not  have  been 
used,  or  some  one  of  the  family  would  have  heard  the 
explosion. 

The  mysterious  murder  was  a  nine  days'  wonder, 
and  all  hope  of  ever  solving  the  mystery  was  given 
up,  when  Detective  Wooldridge  was  asked  to  un- 
ravel it. 

He  took  the  case  up,  but  from  the  clews  furnished 
there  seemed  to  him  little  prospect  of  success.  He 
was  told  all  that  was  known  of  the  murder,  and  was 
given  the  missile,  which  sent  the  robber's  victim  to 
his  death. 

The  detective  carried  this  odd-shaped  little  piece  of 
metal  in  his  pocket  for  many  months.  Nothing  de- 
veloped to  aid  him  in  his  investigation,  but  he  was 
ever  vigilant  and  did  not  give  up. 

Finally,  a  year  after  the  tragedy,  he  found  a  clew^ 
and  it  was  through  the  strange  and  incomprehensible 
actions  of  a  cat. 

One  night  about  eleven  o'clock  the  detective  was 
returning  to  his  home,  when  directly  in  front  of  him 
he  saw  under  a  gas  lamp  a  large  black  cat. 

He  at  first  started  to  cross  the  street,  because  he 
had  never  felt  much  affection  for  cats,  especially  black 
cats,  but  he  thought  it  would  probably  display  a  lack 
of  courage,  and  he  changed  his  mind,  thinking  he 
would  kick  the  cat  out  of  his  way  and  go  on  to  his 
home. 

When  he  came  up  to  the  animal,  however,  it  mewed 
softly  and  looked  up  to  him  with  .kindly  eyes.     He 


326         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

passed  on,  but  when  he  reached  the  next  ocrner  he 
looked  back  and  there  was  the  cat  slowly  following 
him. 

The  night  was  not  cold,  but  the  wind  was  blowing 
at  a  lively  rate,  and  as  he  listened  to  the  creaking  of 
the  window-shutters  the  cold  chills  ran  up  and  down 
his  back,  and  all  the  stories  that  he  had  ever  read  or 
heard  of  black  cats  rushed  through  his  mind  and  left 
an  uncomfortable  impression.  When  he  started  to 
move  on,  the  cat  rubbed  against  his  leg  and  looked 
beseechingly  into  his  face.  Then  ^it  put  one  of  its 
feet  on  his  trousers  and  fastened  its  claws  into  the 
cloth,  as  if  trying  to  pull  him  away.  He  became  in- 
terested and  loosened  the  cat's  claws.  It  started  away 
at  once,  but  slowly,  and  he,  through  some  strange  fancy, 
decided  to  follow  it. 

The  little  beast  led  him  three  blocks  distant  from 
his  home  and  into  a  vacant  lot;  here  it  began  to 
scratch  in  the  soft  earth,  and  presently  seemed  to 
have  uncovered  something. 

The  detective  became  more  interested  than  ever. 
He  thought  possibly  the  cat  was  disclosing  a  hidden 
corpse  and  an  unsolved  mystery.  He  lighted  a  match 
and  pulled  out  of  the  ground  something  like  a  gun — 
not  like  the  ordinary  gun,  but  different  from  anything 
in  the  shape  of  a  gun  he  had  ever  seen  before.  After 
examining  it  carefully  as  he  could  by  the  aid  of 
matches,  he  drew  out  of  his  pocket  the  bullet,  or 
whatever  it  should  be  called,  which  had  killed  the 
man  more  than  a  year  before. 

He  slipped  it  into  the  barrel  of  his  strange-looking 
gun,  and  it  fitted  perfectly. 

Here  was  a  clew,  he  thought,  to  the  murder  and 


CAT  UNEARTHS  A  MURDER  327 

robbery,  which  had  remained  a  mystery  so  long.  It 
is  sometimes  exceedingly  strange  how  Hnks  in  crim- 
inal cases  fit  into  each  other  and  finally  form  a  chain 
which  binds  and  holds  to  the  courts  of  justice  men 
who  have  thought  for  years  they  were  secure  from 
detection,  and  so  it  was  in  this  case. 

After  finding  the  peculiar  gun,  Wooldridge  called 
|on  the  son  of  the  murdered  man  and  was  introduced 
to  another  man  named  Melville. 

The  stranger  se"emed  greatly  astonished  when  he 
glanced  at  the  gun  Wooldridge  had  taken  with  him. 

"Where  did  you  get  that  gun?  It  belongs  to  me," 
Melville  cried.  The  detective  related  the  circum- 
stance of  his  finding  it  and  became  interested  because 
he  thought  he  had  found  the  murderer  he  had  so  long 
looked  for. 

"If  this  is  your  gun,"  the  detective  replied,  "I  have 
perhaps  at  last  found  the  man  who  committed  a  mur- 
der more  than  a  year  ago  in  this  house." 

"No,  no,"  Melville  answered,  "I  mean  that  I  in- 
vented the  gun.  It  was  my  idea.  The  gun  was  made 
for  me,  and  the  first  one  ever  made." 

"To  whom  did  you  sell  it?"  the  officer  asked. 

"I  sold  it  to  Henry  Johnson.  He  took  a  great  fancy 
to  it,  and  offered  me  a  handsome  price  for  it.  I 
needed  the  money  to  push  my  invention,  and  I  al- 
lowed him  to  take  it.  I  do  not  know  where  he  lives 
now.     I  heard  he  went  West  and  grew  quite  wealthy." 

"Would  you  know  him  if  you  saw  him?"  asked 
Wooldridge. 

"Certainly.  We  were  quite  friendly.  By  the.wav; 
I  have  a  photograph  of  him  in  my  rooms." 

Wooldridge  was   in   the   possession  of  the   photo- 


328         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

graph  and  a  full  description  of  the  man  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  then  he  began  again  his  search  for  the  mur- 
derer. 

Two  weeks  later  the  detective  met  the  murdered 
man's  son  on  the  street  in  company  with  another 
young  man.  Wooldridge  stopped  in  front  of  the 
stranger,  and  after  eyeing  him  closely  a  minute,  said : 

"Henry  Johnson,  consider  yourself  under  arrest  for 
the  murder  of  this  man's  father."  The  stranger 
turned  pale  and  started  to  appeal  to  his  companion, 
when  the  latter  interrupted  him. 

"You  are  mistaken,  Wooldridge,"  he  said.  "This 
is  Mr.  Francis.  He  is  my  guest,  and  to-morrow  night 
will- become  the  husband  of  my  sister." 

"Then  your  sister  will  become  the  wife  of  the  as- 
sassin of  your  father,"  answered  Wooldridge,  "for 
this  man  is  Henry  Johnson,  and  here  is  the  missile 
with  which  the  murder  was  committed." 

The  detective  had  in  his  hand  the  strangely  shaped 
bullet,  and  held  it  before  Johnson's  face.  The  latter 
wheeled  and  started  to  run,  but  the  officer  caught 
him,  and  in  a  second  a  pair  of  handcuffs  were  on  his 
wrists.  Johnson  was  fully  identified  by  the  man  who 
sold  him  the  gun,  and  he  was  indicted  for  murder. 

He  was  really  going  to  marry  the  daughter  of  the 
man  he  had  murdered.  He  met  her  some  six  months 
before  while  she  was  on  a  visit  to  Denver,  and  as  he 
was  prosperous  and  stood  high  in  the  community 
there  was  no  objection  by  the  girl's  brother  to  the 
marriage,  and  everything  was  arranged.  The  girl 
was  so  shocked  upon  learning  the  truth  that  she  be- 
came very  ill. 

The  murderer  sent  for  Detective  Wooldridge  while 


THIEVES  GIVE  CLEWS  329 

he  was  in  jail  and  to  him  he  made  a  full  confession  of 
the  murder,  but  just  as  the  detective  was .  leaving  the 
prisoner  said :  "I  will  never  be  punished  for  the  crime, 
however." 

The  next  morning  Johnson  was  found  dead  in  his 
cell.    Wooldridge  still  has  the  gun  and  the  black  cat. 


THIEVES  GIVE  CLEWS. 

COMPANIONS   IN    CRIME  FALL   OUT   AND  HONEST    MEN   GET 
THEIR  DUES,  LIKEWISE  THE  THIEVES. 

The  following  story  shows  the  truth  of  the  old  say- 
ing, "When  thieves  fall  out,  honest  jnen  get  their 
dues."  In  this  case  the  thieves  got  their  dues  also, 
which  were  terms  in  prison. 

Cora  Martin  and  Delia  Foley  had  been  friends  for 
years.  Both  were  thieving  prostitutes  and  panel- 
workers.  Cora  kept  a  house  at  1420  Wabash  avenue, 
and  she  and  Delia  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  on 
the  night  of  October  26,  1896,  when  Delia  received  a 
severe  threshing  from  her  former  friend  Cora. 

This  so  angered  Delia  that  she  determined  to  have 
revenge,  and  going  to  a  drug  store  she  called  up  the 
Harrison  Street  Station  and  sent  the  following  mes- 
sage: 

"To  Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert : — Come  to  the  corner 
of  Thirteenth  and  Wabash  avenue  at  once.  Two  ladies  will  be  in 
waiting  for  you  with  important  information." 

The  officers  were  given  the  message  and  lost  no 
time  going  to  the  above  place.  There  they  found 
Delia  Foley  and  Maggie  Grady,  who  informed  them 
that  Cora  Martin  was  conducting  a  thieving  panel- 


330         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME. 

house  at  1420  Wabash  avenue,  and  named  several 
robberies  that  had  recently  taken  place,  giving  the 
names  and  addresses  of  the  victims. 

The  detectives  promised  to  make  an  investigation 
of  the  matter  and  called  on  Cora  Martin,  the  follow^- 
ing  night  with  an  old  warrant  that  had  never  been 
served.  Cora  jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  Delia 
Foley  had  procured  the  warrant,  and,  calling  Wool- 
dridge  aside,  unfolded  a  tale  which  made  his  hair  stand 
on  end. 

She  said  that  Delia  Foley  and  George  Mead,  the 
man  with  whom  she  was  living,  were  flat  workers, 
burglars  and  thieves,  and  had  looted  a  church  on  the 
west  side,  and  carried  away  the  silver  communion 
service,  and  sold  it  for  a  mere  pittance.  She  also  told 
him  of  a  number  of  burglaries  they  had  committed, 
and  gave  the  names,  numbers  and  streets ;  she  said 
that  while  they  were  stopping  with  her  a  large  part 
of  the  goods  was  brought  to  her  house  and  that  she 
had  part  of  them ;  that  they  had  sold  large  quantities 
to  various  persons,  giving  their  names,  and  that  they 
still  had  a  large  portion  with  them. 

Wooldridge  and  Schubert  hastened  to  the  police 
station,  and  found  out  that  the  information  was  cor- 
rect concerning  the  burglaries  being  committed.  The 
next  move  was  to  locate  Mead  and  Delia  Foley,  which 
was  soon  done.  They  had  moved  to  the  residence  of 
Mrs.  K.  Merkin,  a  widow,  4155  State  street,  taking 
several  trunks  and  some  household  goods. 

Owing  to  the  irregular  hours  they  had  for  retiring, 
the  arrest  of  both  of  them  at  the  same  time,  without 
making  a  blunder,  was  a  matter  of  importance  to  be 
considered.     Sometimes  they  remained  downtown  un- 


THIEVES  GIVE  CLEWS  331 

til  late,  and  sometimes  did  not  go  home  at  all,  but  slept 
downtown. 

Detective  Wooldridge  went  to  the  house  on  State 
street  to  watch  for  them  to  come  on  the  night  of  Oc- 
tober 27,  1896,  while  Schubert,  his  partner,  was  to  re- 
main downtown  to  look  for  them  there.  The  night  was 
bitterly  cold,  and  to  stand  on  the  street  corner  would 
attract  attention. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  place  where  Wooldridge  could 
secrete  himself  and  keep  watch  on  the  house.  Finally, 
he  stole  up  into  the  building,  and  in  the  hallway  he  found 
a  large  empty  coal  box,  and  into  the  box  he  crawled 
to  watch  and  wait  until  they  returned  home.  Here  he 
remained  until  three  o'clock  the  next  morning,  six  hours ; 
it  seemed  like  a  week. 

When  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  parted  downtown 
that  night  it  was  agreed  to  compare  notes  at  3  a.  m.,  and 
sooner  if  necessary. 

Crawling  out,  Wooldridge  went  to  the  patrol  box,  and 
calling  up  Harrison  Street  Station,  asked  if  they  had 
heard  from  Schubert.  He  received  an  answer  to  come 
to  the  station  at  once,  as  Schubert  was  waiting  and  had 
some  important  news. 

Delia  Foley  and  George  Mead  had  been  seen  to  en- 
ter 1232  Wabash  avenue,  and  were  still  there.  The 
detectives  watched  the  house  until  6  a.  m.,  then  en- 
tered and  found  them  both  still  in  bed,  and  arrested 
them. 

In  the  room  was  found  a  quantity  of  stolen  goods 
and  a  book  agent's  sample  case  containing  a  fine  set 
of  burglar's  tools,  consisting  of  braces,  bits,  chisels, 
files,   saws,  a  jimmy,    hammer,    skeleton    keys,    nippers 


332         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  turn  the  key  in  doors  when  locked,  sealing  wax  to 
take  impressions  of  keys,  a  candle,  acids  for  testing 
gold  and  silver,  two  pairs  of  brass  knuckles,  a  forty- 
caliber  revolver  and  two  masks  for  the  face,  which 
were  identified  as  the  property  of  George  Mead,  hav- 
ing been  seen  in  his  possession  at  a  number  of  places. 

The  search  warrant  was  then  served  on  Mrs.  Mer- 
kin,  at  the  hojuse  at  State  street,  for  the  apartments 
occupied  by  Mead  and  the  Foley  woman.  A  large 
amount  of  stolen  goods  was  found  there,  which  was 
taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station  for  identification. 

M.  H.  Barnett,  a  grocer  at  518  Wabash  avenue, 
who  resided  in  the  rear  of  the  store,  had  been  robbed 
of  $700  worth  of  clothing.  Six  hundred  dollars'  worth 
of  the  goods  was  found  in  their  trunks  and  on  their 
backs.  A  large  part  of  the  goods  were  ruined  by  al- 
tering to  fit  the  Foley  woman,  who  was  much  smaller 
than  Mrs.  Barnett.  One  of  her  $80  dresses  was  cut 
down  and  made  into  a  petticoat. 

Delia  J'oley  when  arrested  wore  a  three-quarter 
plush  sack,  which  several  weeks  before  had  been  a 
new,  long,  plush  cloak,  with  cape,  and  worth  $75. 
The  cape  and  fur  had  been  removed  and  the  garment 
cut  down  to  fit  her.  This  was  the  property  of  Jennie 
Gordon,  who  lived  at  1535  State  street  a  month  be- 
fore, and  whose  flat  had  been  burglarized  and  $125 
worth  of  property  taken. 

George  Mead  when  confronted  by  Agnes  Cullon,  one 
of  the  boarders  in  Mrs.  Gordon's  house,  was  recognized 
as  the  man  who  committed  the  robbery,  and  was  de- 
scribed at  the  time  the  burglary  was  committed  and  re- 


THIEVES  GIVE  CLEWS  333 

ported.  Miss  Cullon  had  a  good  view  of  him,  and  Mead 
was  photographed  on  her  mind.  She  often  said  she 
would  Icnow  him  among  a  milHon  men- 

Another  strong  link  was  that  Mead  and  Delia  Foley 
had  occupied  the  rooms  on  the  same  floor,  and  moved 
the  day  following  the  robbery.  Mead  told  Cora  Martin 
that  he  had  committed  the  crime;  besides  she  had  seen 
the  cloak  before  it  had  been  altered,  and  the  cape  and 
trimmings  were  found  in  the  trunk. 

Mead  and  the  Foley  woman  had  lived  at  various 
places,  and  bought  furniture  from  different  houses  under 
the  chattel  mortgage  contract,  and  had  signed  various 
notes  and  leases  under  different  names.  One  of  their 
schemes  was  to  buy  a  bill  of  furniture,  give  a  mortgage, 
re-mortgage  it,  then  have  it  moved  to  some  storage 
house  and  sell  the  warehouse  receipt  for  what  they  could 
get. 

John  M.  Smyth  &  Co.,  150  to  166  West  Madison 
street,  were  heavy  losers;  also  the  Standard  Furniture 
Company,  373  State  street. 

It  was  several  weeks  before  the  property  which  was 
scattered  all  over  Chicago  was  found  and  turned  over 
to  the  owners. 

George  Mead,  alias  George  Wood,  and  Delia  Foley, 
alias  Jennie  Whipple,  were  indicted  and  arraigned  for 
trial  before  Judge  C.  G.  Neely,  January  9,  1897.  Mead 
was-  found  guilty  of  burglary  and  sentenced  to  an  in- 
definite term  in  the  JoHet  penitentiary,  on  January  21, 

1897. 

Delia  Foley  was  convicted  of  receiving  stolen  property, 
and  sentenced  to  six  months  in  the  Cook  county  jail. 


334         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


CLEVER  COUNTERFEITERS  CAUGHT. 

DETECTIVE   WOOLDRIDGE   ARRESTS   PARTIES    FOR   WHOM   THE 
GOVERNMENT    HAD   BEEN    LOOKING    FOR    MONTHS. 

Chicago  was  flooded  during  the  World's  Fair  with 
dangerous  counterfeit  bills  and  bills  raised  from  $io 
to  $50.  A  large  number  of  the  leading  business  houses 
of  the  city  were  victimized  by  the  handlers  of  this  spu- 
rious money. 

Siegel,  Cooper  &  Co.,  Congress  and  State  streets; 
Ed.  Partridge,  State  and  Madison  streets;  John  D. 
Gates,  404  State  street ;  George  E.  Cave,  State  and 
Thirty-ninth  streets;  M.  Silverman,  329  Clark  street; 
Leopold  Reiss;  iii  Wells  street;  the  Globe  Clothing 
Store,  29  West  Madison  street ;  Mrs.  Leary,  3645  Cot- 
tage Grove  avenue,  and  M.  Hofman,  397  Clark  street, 
were  among  the  victims  of  these  counterfeiters.  Some 
of  the  bills  were  so  skillfully  prepared  that  they  passed 
through  many  hands  before  they  were  detected.  One 
in  particular  went  through  the  hands  of  two  expert 
money  handlers,  then  the  Hibernian  Bank,  and  was 
finally  detected  by  accident  at  Hyman,  Berg  &  Co.'s 
jewelry  store  on  State  street. 

Captain  Porter,  in  charge  of  the  United  States  secret 
service  in  Chicago,  says  they  were  the  most  dangerous 
counterfeiters  that  ever  operated  in  the  west,  and  gave 
the  secret  service  more  trouble  than  any  case  he  had 
contended  with.  They  had  passed  the  bills  at  different 
towns  all  the  way  from  West  Virginia  to  Chicago,  and 
operated  as  far  north  as  Minnesota.  Every  available 
man  who  could  be  spared  from  the  service  in  the  west 
was  employed  in  trying  to  run  them  down.     Descriptive 


CLEVER  COUNTERFEITERS  CAUGHT  335 

circulars  were  sent  out  to  the  police  departments,  asking 
them  to  assist  in  locating  them.  One  of  the  circulars 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Detective  Wooldridge,  and  soon 
after  Judson  S.  Freeland  was  arrested. 

The  arrest  came  about  in  this  way :  Judson  S.  Free- 
land  went  into  Mr.  Hofman's  store  at  397  Clark  street, 
where  he  bought  a  cheap  suit  of  clothes,  tendering  one 
of  the  counterfeit  bills  in  payment  therefor.  Hofman  did 
not  have  the  change,  and  while  trying  to  get  smaller 
Ijills  he  met  Wooldridge,  showed  him  the  money  and 
asked  him  if  he  was  a  judge  of  counterfeit  money. 

Wooldridge  carefully  exammed  it,  found  it  was  a 
national  note,  that  the  paper  and  workmanship  were 
good,  and  was  just  about  to  pronounce  it  O.  K.,  when 
he  held  it  up  between  him  and  the  sun,  and  discovered 
that  it  had  been  tampered  with  and  was  a  raised  note. 

Where  the  figure  ten  appeared  on  the  bill  the  paper 
had  been  partially  cut  through  and  the  figure  one  re- 
moved with  some  sharp  instrument,  and  the  figure  five, 
cut  from  a  United  States  revenue  stamp,  had  been  re- 
duced by  rubbing  with  some  fine  emery  paper  to  the 
same  thickness  of  the  one  removed. 

With  a  keen,  sharp  eye,  steady  hand,  and  a  pair  of 
fine  scissors  the  figure  five  was  cut  and  trimmed  until 
it  filled  the  space  and  place  exactly  of  the  one  removed. 
When  this  was  accomplished,  it  was  stuck  fast  with 
mucilage. 

The  new  figure  and  the  edges  surrounding  it  were 
rubbed  with  anise  oil,  a  bottle  of  which  was  later  found 
on  Freeland. 

Wooldridge  went  into  the  store  and  drew  from  his 
pocket  a  number  of  bills,  with  the  pretension  of  making 


336         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRLME 

the  change,  and  in  this  way  he  drew  Freeland  into  a 
conversation. 

Freeland  stated  that  he  and  his  wife  were  visiting 
the  World's  Fair.  He  said  that  he  received  the  money 
from  the  bank  that  morning,  and  knew  it  was  good. 
Wooldridge  saw  at  a  glance  from  the  description  he 
had  that  this  was  the  man  the  secret  service  wanted 
for  counterfeiting. 

He  called  Freeland's  attention  to  something  on  the 
shelf  behind  the  counter,  and  as  Freeland  turned,  a 
pair ,  of.  handcuffs  were  slipped  from  the  detective's 
pocket  and  clasped  on  the  wrists  of  the  counterfeiter, 
who  was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station. 
He  admitted  he  had  a  wife  in  the  city,  but  refused  to 
tell  where  she  was. 

He  lost  his  head  and  stated  that  he  came  to  the  city 
that  morning  and  intended  to  go  to  West  Virginia  that 
night.  He  also  said  that  he  and  his  wife  spent  several 
weeks  in  Chicago  the  month  previous,  and  lived  at  3705 
Vincennes  avenue,  which  seemed  probable,  as  he  had 
some  cards  in  his  possession  from  that  number. 

Captain  Porter,  of  the  United  States  Secret  Service, 
was  telephoned  for,  and  in  less  than  a  half  hour  Free- 
land  was  fully  identified  as  the  counterfeiter. 

Dispatches  were  sent  to  all  police  stations  in  the  city 
to  watch  all  trains  for  Belle  Freeland,  his  wife,  and 
arrest  her.  Wooldridge  concluded  that  most  likely  the 
woman  would  be  found  at  the  place  where  she  had  been 
boarding.  He  procured  a  Western  Union  telegraph 
boy's  cap,  wrote  a  m.essage  to  l\Irs.  Belle  Freeland, 
3705  Vincennes  avenue,  and  went  to  deliver  it  himseli^. 
Captain  Porter  accompanied  him.     Wooldridge  rang  the 


RAN  A  FAKE  POOL-ROOM  337 

door  bell  and  inquired  for  Mrs.  Freeland,  and  luckily  she 
came  to  the  door  hergelf. 

He  told  her  that  he  had  a  letter  from  Judson  Freland 
with  instructions  to  deliver  it  to  no  one  but  Mrs.  Free- 
land.  She  soon  returned  with  Mrs.  C.  H.  Miller,  the 
owner  of  the  house,  who  proved  her  identity.  Mrs.  Free- 
land  was  placed  under  arrest  by  Wooldridge,  Captain 
Porter  coming  from  his  hiding  place  under  the  steps. 
They  searched  her  rooms  for  tools  or  counterfeit  money 
without  success.  She  was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station  and  arraigned  with  her  husband  the  fol- 
lowing day  before  Commissioner  Hoyne,  and  both  were 
held  to  the  federal  grand  jury  in  $2,000  bonds  each. 

They  were  tried  before  Judge  Bonn  November  20, 
1893,  and  sentenced  to  three  years  each  in  the  Chester 
penitentiary  on  March  21,  1894.  Belle  Freeland  was  in 
delicate  condition  at  the  time,  and  after  some  six  months 
in  the  penitentiary,  was  pardoned  by  President  Grover 
Cleveland.  She  returned  to  Virginia  and  became  a 
mother. 

Two  years  after  she  was  again  caught  raising  bills  by 
the  government  officers.  She  was  a  pretty  woman, 
pleasant  and  agreeable  to  talk  with.  She  conducted  a 
millinery  store  at  Teralter,  West  Virginia,  and  did  all 
the  work  of  raising  the  bills.  Her  husband  was  a  car- 
penter at  the  same  place. 


RAN  A  FAKE  POOL-ROOM. 

TWENTY-FIVE    MEN    ARRESTED    AND    EVERY    ONE    INDICTED 
BY    THE   GRAND    JURY. 

The  fertile  brain  of  the  man  who  wants  to  get  rich 
quickly   will   ever  continue  to  supply  schemes   for  the 


338         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

purpose  of  separating  the  unwary  and  guileless  individ- 
ual from  his  money.  All  kinds  of  plans  are  adopted  for 
this  purpose,  and  it  is  estimated  that  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars  have  been  taken  from  victims  in  Chicago 
and  other  cities.  On  Sunday  morning,  June  2,  1901, 
an  advertisement  appeared  in  one  of  the  morning  papers, 
which  was  as  follows: 

"WANTED— A  party  with  $i,cxx);  will  handle  his  own 
money.     Will  bear  investigation." 

A  man  named  Seabrook  answered  the  advertisement, 
and  on  the  Tuesday  following  he  met  the  supposed  pro- 
moter of  the  scheme.  By  well  guarded  talk  and  much 
diplomacy,  the  promoter  learned  after  considerable  con- 
versation that  Mr.  Seabrook  was  not  averse  to  making 
money  by  advance  information  on  race  results.  The  man 
said  his  name  was  Kane,  and  that  he  was  in  a  position 
whereby  he  could  beat  the  races,'  and  especially  those  at 
Gravesend.  He  said  that  the  operator  at  the  eastern 
race  tracks  was  in  his  employ  and  that  all  results  were 
sent  to  a  certain  poolroom  in  Chicago,  which  he  after- 
ward told  was  located  at  2918  Cottage  Grove  avenue, 
but  were  held  by  this  operator  until  he  could  give  a  sig- 
nal to  his  friends.  The  tip  would  then  be  given  to  him, 
and  he  would  have  sufficient  time  to  place  a  number 
of  heavy  bets  on  the  winner  before  the  results  were  sent 
to  the  poolroom.  The  proposition  seemed  to  be  a  good 
one,  but  Mr.  Seabrook  was  not  entirely  satisfied,  and 
would  not  at  first  agree  to  it.  He  made  other  appoint- 
ments, and  finally  met  Mr.  Kane  at  the  Grand  Pacific 
Hotel. 

The  schemer  arranged  for  a  meeting  with  the  Western 
Union  telegraph  operator  who  was  supposed  to  be  in 
rharge  of  the  wire  from  the  race  track  at  Gravesend. 


RAN  A  FAKE  POOL-ROOM  339 

Seabrook  accompanied  Kane  to  the  eighth  floor  of  the 
Western  Union  building,  where  they  were  met  by  a 
man  who  said  he  was  the  operator,  and  promised  to  de- 
Hver  the  information  just  as  it  had  been  represented  he 
would  do. 

Seabrook,  however,  was  suspicious,  and  finally  went 
to  the  police  department  and  called  at  the  chief's  office. 
There  he  unfolded  his  story  to  Detective  Wooldridge, 
and  after  getting  all  the  details,  the  detective  told  him 
to  keep  the  appointment  which  he  had  made  with  Kane 
and  let  him  beheve  that  he  would  put  up  the  $i,ooo  on 
a  race  in  which  he  was  assured  that  he  could  double 
his  money  many  times. 

Wooldridge  was  convinced  that  Seabrook  was  in  the 
hands  of  a  syndicate  of  conspirators  and  fake  poolroom 
operators,  and  formed  a  plan  to  arrest  all  connected  with 
it.  With  a  corps  of  assistants,  Detective  Wooldridge  ar- 
ranged to  raid  the  place.  He  first  went  to  the  office  of 
a  police  magistrate  to  obtain  warrants,  but  failed  to  got 
them,  for  the  reason  that  the  magistrate  was  absent,  and 
having  arranged  to  be  at  the  poolroom  at  a  certain  hour, 
he  could  not  wait  for  the  warrants,  and  proceeded  with- 
out them. 

Seabrook,  on  the  advice  of  the  detective,  had  gone  to 
the  poolroom  and  had  told  the  promoter  of  the  game 
that  he  v^s  ready  to  put  up  the  $i,ooo.  When  he  en- 
tered, he  saw  a  dozen  or  more  men  clamoring  for  an 
opportunity  to  place  their  money  on  a  race,  while  tele- 
graph instruments  were  clicking  and  clerks  in  their  shirt 
sleeves  were  busily  taking  down  advance  tips  from  every 
race  track  in  the  country.  The  appearance  of  the  place 
indicated  that  a  regular  poolroom  was  running  in  full 
blast.      The   names    of   horses    running   at    the    eastern 


340         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tracks,  and  also  at  the  local  tracks,  with  the  odds  on 
each,  were  conepicuously  posted  on  the  walls,  and  the 
official  announcer  was  calling  off  the  results. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  accompanied  by  Detectives 
Dubach,  Herts,  Breternitz,  Sederberg,  Walley,  Schubert 
and  McGrath.  They  appeared  at  the  alleged  poolroom 
promptly  at  the  hour  previously  arranged  with  Seabrook. 
They  made  their  way  to  the  interior,  and  just  as  Archie 
Donaldson,  who  was  announcing  the  results,  cried  out, 
"The  horses  are  at  the  post!"  Wooldridge  bounded  in 
and  said,  "Stop  a  minute !    Put  $5,000  on  Sidney  Lucas." 

Instantly  there  was  wild  excitement,  and  every  one 
tried  to  escape.  This  was  impossible,  however,  as  all 
the  exits  were  barred  by  officers  who  notified  the  inmates 
that  they  were  under  arrest.  Twenty-five  men  were  taken 
into  custody  and  conveyed  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station 
in  patrol  wagons. 

Among  those  taken  in  the  raid  were  Frank  Dubois, 
who  was  well  known  to  the  police  as  a  swindler,  and  who 
was  then  under  bonds  for  perpetrating  a  confidence  game 
on  a  La  Salle  street  broker,  in  which  he  secured  $20,000, 
it  is  said,  by  means  of  a  bogus  mining  deal.  Ed.  Dunne, 
a  notorious  wire  tapper  and  confidence  man,  who  had  ^ 
been  arrested  once  before  on  a  charge  of  swindling  a 
woman  out  of  $1,500,  was  also  among  them,  as  well  as 
George  Moore,  promoter  of  the  game;  Harry  Nelson,^ 
cashier,  and  J.  E.  Murray,  alias  Eugene  Munger. 

The  twenty-five  men  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  and  booked  on  twelve  charges  each,  making  a 
total  of  three  hundred  charges.  The  police  made  a  thor- 
ough examination  of  the  premises,  where  the  alleged 
poolroom  was  in  operation,  and  found  that  the  telegraph 
instruments  were  not  connected  with  any  wires  than  ran 


RAN  A  FAKE  POOL-ROOM  341 

outside  of  the  building,  and  that  the  tickers  were  oper- 
ated by  hand,  showing  it  to  be  one  of  the  boldest  and 
most  barefaced  swindles  unearthed  in  a  long  time,  and 
that  the  whole  scheme  was  but  a  conspiracy  to  swindle 
innocent  people  out  of  their  money. 

When  the  officers  reached  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion with  the  prisoners,  there  was  no  court  in  session  and 
only  one  desk  sergeant  on  duty,  and  they  were  held  until 
the  next  morning,  when  formal  complaints  were  made 
and  their  names  were  registered  on  the  arrest  book,  while 
the  warrant  clerk  was  l)usily  making  out  the  proper  pa- 
pers. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Chief  of  Police  and  Detective 
Wooldridge  were  served  with  a  notice  that  a  writ  of 
habeas  corpus  in  behalf  of  the  prisoners  had  been  sued 
out  by  Attorney  Richard  Wade,  and  they  were  sum- 
moned to  appear  with  the  men  before  Judge  Brentano 
at  two  o'clock.  Promptly  at  the  hour  all  were  present, 
the  state  being  represented  by  A.  J.  Barnett  of  the  state's 
attorney's  office.  There  were  also  two  attorneys  present 
from  the  city  prosecutor's  office.  Judge  Brentano  asked 
what  the  charges  were,  and  was  told  that  the  prisoners 
were  charged  with  conspiracy  to  defraud,  conducting 
a  confidence  game,  keeping  a  poolroom,  being  inmates 
of  a  gaming  room,  being  decoys  and  runners  of  a  pool- 
room, keeping  a  gambling  house,  vagrancy.  These  were 
the  state  charges.  The  cit}-  charges  were  as  follows : 
Keepers  of  a  poolroom  and  being  inmates  thereof,  gam- 
ing and  keeping  gaming  devices,  visitors  of  a  gaming 
house,  vagrancy  and  disorderly  conduct. 

The  court  then  asked  for  the  complaints,  and  was  told 
that  the  warrant  clerk  had  not  had  time  to  make  them 
out,  but  that  they  were  being  drawn  as  rapidly  as  pes- 


3i2         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

sible.  Then  the  judge  wanted  to  know  whether  the  men 
were  booked,  and  was  told  that  they  were.  The  cour^, 
who  was  seeking  this  information  from  Detective  Wool- 
dridge,  then  told  the  officer  that  he  would  give  him  three 
minutes  to  get  the  arrest  book  from  the  Harrison  Street 

(Station.  He  increased  the  time  to  five  minutes,  and 
then  to  ten  minutes,  but  being  told  that  the  book  prob- 
ably was  in  use  in  some  other  court,  the  judge  then  said 
he  would  give  the  officer  until  three  o'clock  to  pro- 
duce it. 

At  that  hour  the  book  was  brought  into  court  by  Desk 
Sergeant  Primm,  who  testified  to  the  booking  of  the 
men.  Judge  Brentano  became  irate  when  he  heard  that 
the  men  were  not  booked  the  evening  before,  and  scored 
the  police  severely,  declaring  they  had  no  right  to  lock 
up  and  keep  all  night  respectable  citizens  whose  families 
were  worrying  over  their  absence.  The  officer  and  the 
State's  Attorney  attempted  to  explain  to  the  court  that 
the  men  were  caught  in  the  act  of  conducting  a  con- 
spiracy and  swindling  game,  and  that  many  of  them  were 
well  known  to  the  police  as  crooks,  some  being  ex-con- 
victs and  others  swindlers  who  were  then  under  bonds 
to  the  criminal  court,  and  that  their  arrest  was  con- 
sidered by  the  police  officials  to  be  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant captures  of  a  gang  of  thieves  and  swindlers  that 
had  been  made  in  a  long  time. 

This,  however,  would  not  appease  the  court,  and  he 
refused  to  hear  any  more  explanations  on  the  subject. 
The  State's  Attorney  tried  to  explain  that  the  court  was 
sitting  as  an  examining  magistrate  and  that  the  only 
question  was  as  to  the  legality  of  the  arrest.  The  judge 
refused  to  listen  any  further,  and  ordered  the  men  re- 
leased on  their  own  recognizance  under  bonds  of  $ioo 


RAN  A  FAKE  POOL-ROOM  348 

each  to  appear  in  court  the  following  Tuesday  at  2  p.  m. 
He  also  ordered  that  $64  in  currency,  which  had  been 
seized  in  the  fake  poolroom  and  taken  from  Harry 
Nelson,  the  cashier,  to  be  held  as  part  of  the  evidence 
against  the  men,  be  returned. 

Sunday  intervened,  and  on  Monday  at  eleven  o'clock 
none  of  the  prisoners  appeared  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Station,-  and  consequently  no  action  could  be  taken 
against  them.  On  the  next  day  at  two  o'clock  all  the 
men  were  present  in  Judge  Brentano's  court  again.  In 
the  meantime  the  judge  had  become  more  conversant 
with  the  facts,  and  decided,  after  hearing  the  charges 
made  by  Detective  Wooldridge  and  the  other  officers,  to 
hold  the  men  under  bonds  to  appear  in  the  Harrison 
Street  Police  Court,  June  20.  In  order  to  be  sure  that 
they  would  appear  on  that  day  before  the  police  justice, 
he  caused  them  to  give  bonds  to  him  to  appear  in  his 
court  on  June  21. 

In  the  meantime  the  officers  went  befose  the  grand 
jury  with  the  evidence  they  had  in  their  possession 
and  secured  indictments  against  all  the  men  they  had 
arrested,  on  charges  of  conducting  a  poolroom  and  keep- 
ing a  common  gaming  house. 

When  the  men  again  appeared  in  Judge  Brentano's 
court,  deputy  sheriffs  with  capiases  invaded  the  court 
room  and  arrested  every  one  of  them.  They  all  gave 
bond  for  their  appearance,  and  on  July  13,  they  were 
arraigned  in  Judge  Tuley's  court  for  trial. 

They  were  represented  by  four  able  attorneys.  After 
an  hour  spent  in  wrangling  over  an  effort  to  quash 
the  indictments,  the  cases  were  submitted  to  the  court, 
and  four  of  the  promoters  and  leaders  were  adjudged 
guilty,   and  they   were  fined   $100  each.     These  were; 


344         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Archibald  Donaldson,  John  J.  Sheehan,  George  Moore 
and  Harry  Nelson. 

This  disposed  of  the  charges  of  keeping  a  common 
gaming  house  under  which  the  twenty-five  men  were 
indicted.  There  still  remained  to  be  tried  George  Moore 
and  five  others  on  charges  of  conspiracy  to  defraud, 
which,  under  the  Illinois  statutes,  is  a  penitentiary  of- 
fense. 

This  case  will  go  down  in  history  as  one  of  the  most 
unique  and  remarkable  in  police  and  criminal  annals. 
Here  were  twenty-five  nien  arrested  and  held  under  three 
hundred  charges,  and  every  one  indicted,  something  un- 
known before  in  Chicago.  It  had  the  eflfect  of  breaking 
up  one  of  the  boldest  gangs  of  swindlers  that  ever 
infested  the  citv. 


LAKE  FRONT  PARK  RAIDED. 

BIG  GANG  OF  VAGRANTS  AND  FOOTPADS  CAUGHT   IN   A  RAID 
BY  THE  POLICE. 

While  the  World's  Fair  was  in  progress  many  com- 
plaints were  made  to  the  police  of  robberies  and  depre- 
dations in  the  Lake  Front  Park.  This  park  is  situated 
east  of  Michigan  avenue  and  extends  from  Randolph 
street  to  Park  Row,  near  Twelfth  street.  It  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  Lake  Michigan,  and  the  green  grass  and 
cool,  refreshing  breezes  from  the  lake  offered  many  in- 
ducements to  men  who  had  been  at  work  all  day,  cooped 
up  in  shops,  attics,  basements  and  hotels,  to  go  there 
and  lie  down  for  a  few  hours  of  rest. 

Chicago  was  then  filled  with  thousands  of  strangers 
of  all   nationalities.      Many   of   them   came   to    see   the 


LAKE  FRONT  PARK  RAIDED  345 

sights,  while  others  came  to  seek  employment,  and  after 
traveling  many  miles  on  foot  and  in  box  cars  were  sleepy 
and  worn  but.  Here  they  could  rest  with  Mother 
Earth  for  their  pillow  and  the  blue  sky  above  as  a  can- 
opy. Others  went  there  frequently  with  a  "jag"  on  to 
lay  down  and  sleep  It  off.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing 
during  the  hot,  sultry  nights  to  find  from  three  to  five 
thousand  persons  stretched  out  on  the  grass  in  this  park 
enjoying  rest  and  many  of  them  asleep. 

But  these  were  not  the  only  ones  going  to  the  park. 
A  well  organized  gang  of  crooks  and  thieves,  both  black 
and  white,  numbering  from  twenty-five  to  forty  men 
and  boys,  visited  this  park  night  after  night,  and  would 
crawl  along  on  their  knees  until  they  found  some  poor 
unfortunate  asleep,  then  like  a  snake  in  the  grass,  would 
lie  down  by  his  side,  and  with  his  nimble  fingers  go 
through  the  sleeper's  pockets  and  relieve  him  of  every- 
thing of  value  he  possessed.  Frequently  the  robbers 
would  take  away  the  victim's  shoes  or  coat,  or  a  package 
which  he  would  have  in  his  hand,  and  sometimes  they 
would  strip  him  of  everything  to  which  they  took  a 
fancy,  leaving  him  penniless  in  a  strange  city  many 
miles  from  home,  friends  or  assistance. 

Captain  Hartnett,  who  was  then  in  charge  of  the 
Harrison  Street  Station,  detailed  men  in  uniform  to  look 
after  these  tough  characters  who  infested  the  park  and 
Michigan  avenue,  with  instructions  to  drive  them  away. 
A  number  of  them  were  arrested  and  fined,  but  this  did 
not  lessen  the  crimes  or  complaints,  and,  apparently,  for 
every  one  that  was  arrested  and  taken  away  two  would ' 
take  his  place.  Several  of  the  ofiicers  who  were  detailed 
on  this  work  had  some  exciting  times,  as  a  mob  would 
often  interfere  and  take  the  prisoners  away.     On  one 


346         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

occasion  an  officer  was  badly  injured  by  a  knife  which 
was  run  through  his  arm. 

At  last  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  break 
up  this  gang  of  thieves  and  highwaymen.  On  August 
ID,  he  went  to  the  station  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  called  for  assistance.  Some  twenty  men  were  sent 
with  him.  Wooldridge  sent  six  of  the  men  to  Park  Row 
and  six  to  Van  Buren  street,  while  eight  were  stationed 
along  Michigan  avenue.  The  robbers  and  vagrants  who 
were  in  the  park  were  then  aroused  and  sent  to  the  center 
by  the  officers  on  the  north  and  south,  and  before  they 
knew  what  was  wanted,  they  were  all  surrounded.  Three 
patrol  wagons  were  called,  and  ninety-seven  prisoners 
were  sent  to  the  Harrison  Stret  Station  and  booked  for 
disorderly  conduct.  Forty-two  of  them  were  fined  $20 
each,  and  ten  $10  each,  and  all  sent  to  the  Bridewell. 
The  total  amount  of  fines  assessed  was  $940.  This  sys- 
tem of  raiding  was  continued  for  several  nights  until 
the  gang  was  completely  broken  up  and  the  Lake  Front 
Park  restored  to  its  former  peace  and  quietude. 


RECOVERS  STOLEN  PASSES. 

TEN     THOUSAND     DOLLARS'     WORTH     OF     TRANSPORTATION 
RECOVERED    BY    DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE. 

Ten  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  railroad  passes  were 
stolen  one  night  on  the  levee  from  a  general  freight 
agent  of  one  of  the  eastern  trunk  lines,  with  headquar- 
ters in  Detroit.  They  were  taken  from  the  pockets  of 
their  owner  after  a  fierce  struggle  between  him  and  two 
women.  The  case  was  put  in  the  hands  of  Detective 
Wooldridge,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  railroad  man  had 


RECOVERliD  STOLEN  PASSES  347 

his  passes  and  was  ridirig  on  one  of  the  Hmited  express 
trains  for  the  east. 

This  was  a  case  which  required  a  great  deal  of  diplo- 
macy, and  it  was  a:conipHshed  without  making  a  single 
arrest. 

The  railroad  man  was  visiting  Chicago  at  the  time, 
and  was  a  guest  of  the  Great  Northern  Hotel.  It  was 
on  December  23,  1893,  that  he  was  called  in  the  evening 
to  go  to  the  Polk  street  depot  on  some  business,  and 
on  his  return  he  passed  through  Custom  House  place. 

When  he  reached  the  panel  house  at  137,  conducted 
by  Jessie  Williams,  his  hat  was  snatched  from  his  head 
and  thrown  into  a  hallway  by  a  colored  woman.  When 
he  demanded  the  hat,  he  was  told  to  go  in  and  get  it, 
which  he  finally  did,  and  was  intercepted  by  two  colored 
women  who  picked  his  pockets  and  secured  a  pocket- 
book  containing  money  amounting  to  some  $12,  some 
contracts  and  125  annual  railroad  passes  over  the  prin- 
cipal roads  in  the  United  States.  The  passes  were  val- 
ued at  $10,000. 

The  victim  reported  the  matter  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station,  and  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  get 
the  property.  The  railroad  man  called  the  detective  aside 
and  asked  him  if  there  was  any  prospect  or  hope  of  re- 
covering the  passes.  The  perspiration  rolled  oflf  of  him 
in  a  stream.  Wooldridge  told  him  that  he  would  have 
his  money  and  passes  inside  of  three  hours.  He  heaved 
a  heavy  sigh  of  relief  and  grasped  the  detective's  hand 
and  nearly  shook  it  off.  He  inquired  if  the  detective 
wanted  him  to  accompany  him,  and  when  told  "no,"  he 
could  not  understand  how  he  was  going  to  get  back 
those  passes.  Wooldridge  would  not  even  allow  the 
victim  to  go  along  and  point  out  the  thief.    This  puzzled 


348       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

the  railroad  man  very  much.  He  understood  how  to 
trace  and  find  a  package  of  freight  which  had  been  lost 
in  transit,  but  he  could  not  understand  how  a  man  with 
no  clew  could  recover  a  lot  of  stolen  railroad  tickets. 

After  reassuring  him  again,  Wooldridge  started  out  to 
locate  the  stolen  property.  The  first  place  he  visited 
was  the  Park  Theater,  at  354  State  street,  where  he 
procured  some  prepared  blackening  for  making  up  as  a 
negro,  also  a  silk  hat,  white  vest,  and  a  large  walking 
stick.  The  disguise  of  a  colored  man  was  good,  and  no 
one  would  have  recognized  him.  Back  to  Custom  House 
place  he  went,  taking  in  all  the  saloons,  bawdy  houses 
and  opium  joints. 

Finally  he  found  Jessie  Williams,  the  woman  who  con- 
ducted the  house  at  137  Custom  House  place,  and  call- 
ing her  into  one  of  the  stalls,  spoke  to  her  about  the  rob- 
bery of  the  railroad  man.  He  told  her  the  victim  was 
the  brother  of  the  Chief  of  Police;  that  he  had  already 
sent  to  his  house  for  him,  and  he  was  on  his  way  down 
to  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  would  use  every 
police  officer  on  the  iorte  to  arrest  the  woman  and  se- 
cure the  railroad  passes. 

He  further  stated  that  the  district  was  already  sur- 
rounded by  officers,  and  that  no  colored  woman  would 
be  allowed  to  leave  it  until  the  guilty  one  was  arrested 
and  the  property  recovered.  He  told  her  that  the  passes 
were  no  good  to  them,  and  if  they  did  not  at  once  sur- 
render them  they  would  be  caught  and  sent  to  the  peni- 
tentiary. In  a  few  m.inutes  she  was  sweltering  as  if  it 
were  a  hot  summer  day.  Finally,  she  jumped  up  and 
told  Wooldridge  to  wait  fifteen  minutes  and  she  would 
go  and  find  the  woman  and  get  the  passes  and  bring 
them  to  him.     In  a  short  time  she  returned,  bringing 


WOMAN  ROBS  A  SOLDIER  349 

about  $4,000  worth  of  the  passes,  and  informed  him  that 
they  had  been  divided  between  two  colored  women,  and 
the  other  one  had  gone  out  to  Twentieth  street  and  Ar- 
mour avenue,  where  she  roomed,  and  inside  of  two 
hours  she  would  have  the  passes. 

He  was  to  stop  all  further  proceedings  and  notify  the 
man  that  his  property  would  be  returned  to  him.  The 
woman  kept  her  word.  The  railroad  officer  got  his 
property  back  and  seemed  a  very  grateful  man  for  the 
good  work  done  by  Wooldridge.  He  then  shook  the 
Chicago  dust  from  his  feet,  taking  the  train  for  the 
east  a  much  wiser  man. 


WOMAN  ROBS  A  SOLDIER.     ■ 

CAUGHT   BY  DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE,    WHO   RECOVERS   PART 

OF  THE  STOLEN    MONEY. 

While  Detective  Wooldridge  was  going  east  to  Wa- 
bash avenue,  over  the  Twelfth-street  viaduct,  he  heard 
some  one  shouting  below,  "Pohce!"  "Thief!"  and  an- 
other voice  crying,  "Run,  nigger;  run,  the  white  man 
will  catch  you."  Then  he  saw  Laura  Johnson,  a  noto- 
rious colored  footpad,  run  up  on  the  viaduct  by  a  stair- 
way from  State  street. 

The  detective  caught  the  woman,  and  found  clinched 
in  her  hands  $420,  which  she  gave  up  without  resistance. 
She  was  followed  up  the  stairway  by  John  Dayton,  a 
United  States  soldier,  who  was  stationed  at  a  western 
garrison  in  charge  of  the  hospital.  He  had  secured  a 
furlough  and  had  come  to  Chicago  to  take  a  course  in 
pharmacy  in  order  to  enable  him  to  discharge  his  duties 
more  efficiently.     He  had  been  robbed  by  the  woman  of 


350       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

$950,  and  when  he  approached  and  found  only  $420  of 
the  money,  he  ordered  the  woman  to  give  up  the  re- 
mainder. 

Then  the  woman  broke  away  and  sprang  down  the 
steps,  with  Wooldridge  in  pursuit  and  Dayton  close  be- 
hind him.  The  detective  stepped  on  a  banana  peel  and 
fell,  and  before  he  could  get  on  his  feet  again,  the  footpad 
had  gotten  some  distance  away  and  was  flying  down 
through  the  Western  Indiana  railroad  tracks  like  a  grey-  - 
hound,  with  Dayton  at  her  heels. 

Several  colored  men  joined  the  woman,  and  learning 
she  had  stolen  considerable  money,  tried  to  prevent  Day- 
ton from  following  her.  One  of  them  drew  a  razor  and 
another  a  revolver.  This  deterred  the  soldier,  and  the 
woman  ran  into  the  rear  of  510  State  street,  where  she 
had  formerly  roomed  and  was  known  to  the  inmates. 

When  Wooldridge  gained  his  feet  he  bounced  on  a 
State-street  car  that  was  passing  with  the  intention  of 
intercepting  the  woman  at  Taylor  street.  When  he 
reached  the  building  into  which  the  woman  had  gone, 
those  who  had  intimidated  the  soldier  recognized  the 
officer  and  fled. 

Wooldridge  proceeded  to  search  the  building  for  the 
Johnson  woman.  Dayton  went  into  the  place  with  him, 
and  was  left  in  the  hall  to  guard  the  escape,  while  Wool- 
dridge made  a  search  in  the  rooms. 

Dayton  was  set  upon  by  a  number  of  colored  men, 
who  demanded  that  he  leave  the  building,  or  they  would 
throw  him  out  of  the  window. 

The  quarrel  brought  the  officer  to  the  hall  just  in 
time,  as  they  had  seized  Dayton  and  were  about  to  put 
their  threat  into  execution.  Wooldridge  told  them  that 
the  first  one  who  placed  his  hand  on'the  soldier  would 


WOMAN  ROBS  A  SOLDIER  «51 

be  killed.  He  handed  Dayton  one  of  his  revolvers,  and 
told  him  to  station  himself  in  the  corner  of  the  hall 
against  the  wall  and  look  out  for  the  woman,  and  told 
him  also  to  kill  the  first  man  who  laid  his  hand  on  him. 

Wooldridge  was  joined  by  two  other  officers,  and  they 
proceeded  to  search  the  building  and  found  Laura  John- 
son stowed  away  under  one  of  the  beds  in  a  back  room. 
She  had  hidden  the  money  somewhere  in  the  building 
and  it  was  not  recovered,  but  she  was  taken  to  the  Har- 
rison Street  Station  and  booked  for  robbery. 

During  the  night  she  sent  a  note  to  Jerry  Carmichael, 
a  colored  man,  and  it  was  supposed  that  he  went  to 
the  building  and  secured   the  money. 

A  warrant  was  procured  for  this  man's  arrest,  and 
Detective  Wooldridge  went  to  488  State  street  next 
morning  about  daylight  and  found  him  in  his  room. 
When  aroused  the  negro  climbed  over  the  transom  into 
the  adjoining  room,  and  when  the  door  was  forced  no 
one  was  there.  The  adjoining  door  was  also  opened 
and  Jerry  Carmichael  bounded  out  and  clinched  the  little 
detective,  and  both  went  to  the  floor  with  Jerry  on  top. 
But  he  was  quickly  turned  under  by  Wooldridge,  who 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  he  too  had  learned  some- 
thing about  wrestling. 

Wooldridge  secured  a  good  hold  upon  the  fellow's 
throat  and  Carmichael  reached  for  his  knife,  but  was 
detected  before  he  could  open  it,  and  by  a  quick  move 
Wooldridge  knocked  the  knife  from  his  hand.  He  then 
choked  him  into  submission,  slipped  the  "come-alongs" 
on  his  wrists,  and  landed  him  behind  the  bars  in  the 
Harrison  Street  Station.  No  money  was  found  on  him, 
but  he  was  fined  for  vagrancy  and  sent  to  the  workhouse. 

On  April  9,    1895,   Laura  Johnson   was  held  to  the 


352        HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

criminal  court  in  bonds  of  $i,000  by  Justice  Bradwell. 
The  case  came  up  before  the  grand  jury  which  heard 
the  evidence  and  failed  to  act  on  it.  The  case  was  passed 
until  the  next  grand  jury.  In  the  meantime  Dayton  was 
called  back  to  his  post,  and  would  not  return  to  Chicago 
again,  and  Laura  Johnson  was  turned  loose. 

Laura  robbed  Dayton  by  inviting  him  to  go  with  her 
to  1 23 1  State  street  to  see  fifty  or  sixty  people  smoke 
opium.  She  told  him  it  was  one  of  the  sights  of  the 
city,  and  he  should  not  miss  it.  He  accompanied  her, 
and  while  there  she  picked  his  pocket  of  $950  and  ran 
out  the  back  way. 

Later  Laura  Johnson  became  involved  in  a  quarrel 
with  Irene  Moore  over  the  affection  of  Jerry  Carmichael, 
to  whom  both  took  a  fancy.  Irene  was  carved  up  with 
a  dirk.  Her  forearm  was  almost  severed,  blood  poison 
set  in  and  she  came  near  dying.  Laura  left  and  did  not 
return  to  Chicago  until  July,  1896,  and  on  July  25,  she 
was  arrested  and  bound  over  in  bonds  of  $500  to  the 
criminal  court.  She  was  indicted  and  arraigned  for 
trial  on  August  25,  1896,  on  a  charge  of  assault  to  do 
bodily  harm  and  was  sentenced  to  six  months  in  the 
House  of  Correction  by  Judge  Baker. 

She  told  Judge  Baker  she  stole  the  knife  for  luck  and 
made  use  of  it  at  the  first  chance  she  bad. 


RESCUES  A  STRANGER. 

In  October,  1893,  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed 
to  break  up  a  dangerous  gang  of  colored  highwaymen 
who  operated  on  State  street  between  Taylor  and  Polk 
streets.    As  he  was  passing  down  the  east  side  of  State 


MAKES  A  HIGH  DIVE  353 

street  one  day  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  faint 
cry  of  "Help"  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  He 
rescued  Charles  Cannon,  a  livery  man  who  lived  in  a 
small  town  in  the  interior  of  the  state.  Cannon  had 
arrived  in  the  city  on  an  early  morning  train  and  was 
walking  along  the  street  in  search  of  a  hotel.  He  went 
into  a  saloon  at  480  State  street,  known  as  the  "Bucket 
of  Blood." 

Several  loungers  who  were  thieves  and  pickpockets 
stood  around  the  bar,  and  when  Cannon  entered  they  ob- 
served him  closely.  The  stranger  called  for  a  drink  and 
presented  a  $5  bill  in  payment  for  it.  He  took  the  change 
and  left  the  place,  but  was  followed  by  a  number  of  the 
inmates,  and  when  he  reached  the  sidewalk  five  of  them 
seized  him  and  gave  him  the  strong  arm,  and  pounded 
and  beat  him  over  the  head.  They  took  what  change 
he  had,  tore  off  his  watch  chain  and  caught  hold  of 
his  watch,  but  dropped  it  on  the  sidewalk. 

When  Wooldridge  approached,  some  one  called  out, 
"Look  out  for  Wooldridge,"  and  the  crowd  scattered 
immediately.  The  robbers  ran  into  the  saloon,  and  two 
of  them,  Ben  Franklin  and  William  Payne,  were  cap- 
tured, fined  $100  each,  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Cor- 
rection. 


MAKES  A  HIGH  DIVE. 

DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE    JUMPS    FROM    A    HOUSE-TOP    INTO 
A    PILE   OF   REFUSE. 

Once  while  chasing  some  fleeing  women  from  a  sec- 
ond-story window  across  several  house-tops,  Detective 
Wooldridge  took  a  plunge  head  foremost,  which  almost 
buried  him  in  a  pile  of  refuse.    Those  who  saw  the  feat 


354       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

said  it  excelled  that  of  the  man  who  dives  from  the 
top  of  the  circus  tent  into  a  tank  of  water  below.  Wool- 
dridge  sank  so  deep  in  the  refuse  that  he- might  have  suf- 
focated had  not  his  fellow  officers  rescued  him. 

It  was  on  November  20,  1896.  Lieutenant  Cudmore, 
accompanied  by  Detective  Wooldridge  and  several  other 
officers,  went  to  1237  State  street  for  the  purpose  of 
raiding  the  house  there.  The  place  was  surrounded  and 
several  of  the  detectives  ran  up  to  the  second  floor. 
Hearing  a  commotion  in  a  room  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  they  went  in  just  in  time  to  see  Fannie  Clark 
and  Mary  Nelson  getting  out  of  the  window. 

A  low  roof  was  near,  and  gathering  up  their  skirts  the 
women  ran  across  it  and  on  that  of  a  neighboring  house. 
Lieutenant  Cudmore  and  Detectives  Wooldridge  and 
Schubert  followed,  and  then  the  chase  began  in  earnest. 

Notwithstanding  the  encumbrance  of  their  gowns,  the 
women  kept  well  ahead  of  their  pursuers.  A  number  of 
low  sheds  almost  touching  each  other  gave  them  an  op- 
portunity to  prolong  the  race  until  they  arrived  at  one 
from  which  there  was  no  escape  except  in  a  leap.  They 
did  not  hesitate,  but  jumped,  landing  knee-deep  in  a 
garbage  pile.  Before  they  could  extricate  themselves 
Detective  Wooldridge  followed. 

His  body  made  a  half-revolution  as  it  went  through 
the  air,  and  his  head  struck  the  soft  mass  of  refuse.  In 
he  went  up  to  his  shoulders,  and  as  he  passed  by  the 
women  it  so  happened  that  he  was  able  to  catch  each 
of  them  by  the  dress.  Before  they  could  get  away, 
Cudmore  and  Schubert  had  arrived  from  above  just  in 
time  to  save  their  companion  from  what  Yum- Yum  would 
have  called  a  "stuffy  death." 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION  355 

WQeldridge  retained  his  hold  on  the  two  women  until 
he  was  carefully  pulled  up  by  his  legs.  The  captives 
were  booked  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station  on  a  charge 
of  being  inmates  of  a  disorderly  house.  Ellen  Osborne, 
who  was  taken  at  the  house,  was  booked  for  the  same 
offense,  and  all  were  fined. 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION. 

HISTORY  OF  ONE  OF  THE   MOST   FAMOUS   MUNICIPAL  PRIS- 
ONS IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  most  famous  institution  connected  with  the  po- 
lice history  of  Chicago  is  the  Harrison  Street  Police 
Station.  If  the  cells  and  walls  of  that  building  could 
talk  they  could  tell  stories  of  startling  criminal  facts 
that  would  stagger  the  world  and  be  more  interesting  than 
the  wildest  fiction  ever  printed  by  the  writers  of  western 
history.  It  has  held  within  its  walls  more  criminals  and 
more  desperate  characters  than  any  other  police  station 
in  Chicago.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  Cook  County  jail  has 
held  as  many  desperate  and  daring  men  within  its  walls 
as  this  police  station. 

It  has  been  under  command  of  more  different  officers 
of  high  grade  than  any  other  station  in  the  police  de- 
partment. Some  of  the  best  and  ablest  officers  in  the 
department  to-day  graduated  and  took  their  higher  rank 
from  this  station.  Being  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city 
and  in  the  center  of  the  famous  levee  district,  it  natur- 
ally became  the  station  to  which  all  criminal  characters 
arrested  there  should  be  taken.  It  has  not  only  held 
within  its  walls  offenders  against  the  city  ordinances  and 
state  laws,  but  has  housed  criminals  against  the  laws  of 


356       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

the  United  States,  and  men  even  who  have  been  wanted 
in  the  foreign  countries  for  extraordinary  crimes. 

On  account  of  the  fact  that  it  occupied  this  position 
geographically  in  Chicago  territory,  it  was  necessary  for 
the  police  department  to  place  its  best  men  in  charge  of 
it,  its  most  efficient  detectives  and  its  most  active  and 
reliable  patrolmen.  The  Harrison  Street  Station  was 
erected  just  after  the  great  fire  of  1871.  The  county 
jail  at  that  time  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Randolph 
and  Clark  streets,  and  M.  C.  Hickey,  who  was  then 
captain  at  the  old  armory  at  Adams  and  Franklin  streets, 
seeing  his  station  melting  away  in  that  great  conflagra- 
tion, rushed  through  smoke  and  flame  and  released  the 
prisoners  in  the  jail  just  in  time  to  save  them  from 
cremation. 

The  police  force  at  that  time  consisted  of  only  a  few 
hundred  men,  and  when  the  armory  was  consumed  Cap- 
tain Hickey  gathered  his  men  and  housed  them  tempo- 
rarily in  an  old  frame  school  building  which  had  escaped 
the  fury  of  the  flames.  Then  for  a  short  time,  Simon 
O'Donnell,  of  what  was  then  known  as  the  West  Twelfth 
street  terror  district,  was  put  in  command.  When  the 
smoke  had  cleared  away  and  Joseph  E.  Medill  had  been 
elected  Mayor  on  the  fireproof  ticket,  Griswold  street 
was  changed  to  Pacific  avenue,  and  there  were  many 
other  changes  made  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  city. 

Among  the  many  captains  who  have  commanded  at 
the  Harrison  .Street  Station  are  William  Buckley,  who 
many  years  ago  was  nearly  mobbed  one  Sunday  while 
returning  from  church  with  his  wife  and  was  nearly 
killed  a  short  time  ago  by  a  street  car  conductor. 

Another  was  Ed.  Laughlin,  who  once  had  a  desperate 
fight  while  unarmed  with  a  maniac  at  the  Polk  street 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION  357 

depot.  Others  were  Wheeler  Bartram,  formerly  chief 
of  police  .of  Evanston ;  E.  E.  Lloyd,  Thomas  Simmons, 
J.  L.  Revere,  Francis  P.  Barcal,  Charles  G.  Koch,  Walter 
Jenkins,  George  Shippy,  Francis  O'Neill,  the  present 
chief  of  police ;  Martin  Hayes  and  John  J.  Hartnett,  who 
is  at  present  inspector  at  this  station. 

Among  the  patrolmen  and  detectives  who  worked  from 
the  Harrison  Street  Station  are  many  who  are  to-day 
high  up  in  the  ranks  of  the  department.  It  has  always 
been  considered  one  of  the  most  important  and  danger- 
ous and  at  the  same  time  desirable  posts  from  which 
the  officers  could  work.  The  duties  required  of  the 
officers  traveling  from  that  station  very  often  threw  them 
in  contact  with  desperate  characters,  and  it  was  said 
that  a  man  who  patrolled  a  beat  on  the  levee  took  his 
life  into  his  own  hands. 

The  importance  of  the  Harrison  Street  Station  is 
shown  in  the  fact  that  it  is  the  headquarters  of  the 
local  Bureau  of  Identification.  Captain  Michael  P. 
Evans,  who  is  the  superintendent  of  the  bureau,  has 
his  office  at  this  station. 

Captain  Evans  is  called  the  "Nemesis  of  the  Crooks," 
and  presides  at  the  "rogue's  gallery."  He  is  a  quiet  little 
gray-haired  man  with  a  remarkable  memory.  For  sev- 
enteen years  he  has  been  busy  identifying  criminals 
brought  into  his  office,  and  all  this  has  added  fame  to 
the  Harrison  Street  Station.  He  can  frequently  identify 
a  man  at  sight.  Many  persons  suspected  of  crime  are 
taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  when  brought 
before  Captain  Evans  are  at  once  identified.  This  is 
especially  the  case  if  they  have  ever  figured  in  the  crimi- 
nal history  of  Chicago  or  any  other  large  city. 

The  office  of  the  Bureau  of  Identification  at  this  sta- 


358       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE   WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tion  is  located  in  a  long,  Harrow  room,  and  the  walls 
and  cabinets  in  this  room  contain  40,000  pictures.  This 
does  not  include  duplicates.  The  superintendent  fre- 
quently remembers  the  face  of  a  man  the  instant  he  sees 
it,  and  can  tell  him  his  record  of  crime.  He  makes  a 
study  of  faces.  He  is  at  all  times  in  correspondence 
with  the  police  departments  of  other  cities  and  wardens 
of  the  penitentiaries  in  this  country  and  Europe,  and 
knows  just  when  a  certain  criminal  who  is  serving  time 
will  be  released. 

According  to  Professor  Nichols,  of  the  British  Journal 
of  Photography,  Chicago  was  th^  first  city  in  the  world 
to  make  photography  a  branch  and  a  part  of  its  police 
department.  This  plan  of  identifying  criminals  was  be- 
gun in  Chicago  in  1884.  Chicago  was  also  the  first  city 
in  this  country  to  adopt  the  Bertillon  system  of  identifi- 
cation. 

The  system  of  photographing  criminals  was  originated 
in  Chicago  by  Austin  J.  Doyle  and  Captain  Evans.  Be- 
fore that  time  police  officers  took  their  criminals  to  a  pub- 
lic photograph  gallery  to  have  their  pictures  made,  but, 
of  course,  the  system  was  not  a  perfect  one,  as  in  those 
cases  the  prisoners  were  not  measured.  Thus,  when  a 
picture  of  a  criminal  was  wanted  a  search  through  the 
old  album  of  thousands  of  pictures  was  necessary. 

At  that  time  Evans  was  simply  a  clerk  in  the  police 
department.  His  duties  consisted  of  getting  up  reports 
of  the  Secret  Service  Bureau,  which  brought  him  face 
to  face  with  many  photographs  of  criminals.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  he  became  interested  in  the  study  of  crimi- 
nal faces,  and  it  was  at  his  suggestion  that  Chief  of 
Police  Doyle  decided  that  the  department  should  do  its 
own  photographing. 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION  358 

Evans  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  bureau  and  at 
once  began  to  take  lessons  at  a  gallery  in  the  art  of 
-photography.  Soon  after  this  a  room  was  fitted  up  in 
the  old  Rookery  building,  where  the  city  hall  was  at 
that  time  located,  and  in  June,  1884,  the  first  picture  was 
made  in  the  photograph  bureau  of  the  Chicago  police 
department. 

This  picture  was  made  of  a  servant  girl  who  was 
charged  with  shoplifting,  and  she  was  fined  $10.  Evans 
made  the  picture,  but  he  has  never  seen  nor  heard  of 
the  girl  since.  This  little  picture  is  still  in  the  gallery 
of  rogues  along  with  the  40,000  others  in  that  institu- 
tion. 

From  the  small  beginning  made  at  that  time  the 
Identification  Bureau  in  the  Harrison  Street  Station  has 
grown  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world,  with  the  exception 
of  the  bureau  in  Paris,  France,  where  the  Bertillon  sys- 
tem originated.  More  than  one  thousand  pictures  a  year 
are  received  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station  from  all  parts 
of  the  world,  asking  ,for  the  identification  of  suspects, 
and,  remarkable  as  it  may  seen,  from  forty  to  fifty  per 
cent  of  the  inquiries  are  satisfactorily  answered. 

Notwithstanding  the  satisfactory  condition  of  the  bu- 
reau to-day,  from  September,  1887,  to  1890,  it  was  a 
rather  useless  adjunct  to  the  department,  for  the  reason 
that  the  change  in  the  city  administration  threw  Captain 
Evans  out,  and  in  September,  1890,  Chief  of  Police 
Marsh  closed  the  office  because  he  had  no  one  who  could 
run  it  satisfactorily. 

In  November  of  that  year  he  restored  Evans  to  his 
old  position,  and  it  was  found  that  three  weeks'  constant 
work  was  necessary  before  a  report  could  be  made.  No 
records  had  been  kept  for  nearly  three  years,  plates  had 


360       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

been  exposed  and  not  developed,  and  everything  in  the 
office  was  neglected  to  such  an  extent  that  a  great  deal  of 
labor  was  required  to  restore  the  bureau  to  its  old 
efficiency. 

The  Bertillon  system  was  introduced  about  this  time, 
and  the  bureau  at  the  present  time  has  four  Bertillon 
cases,  containing  eighty-one  boxes  in  each  case,  making  a 
total  of  324  boxes.  These  contain  all  the  Bertillon 
photographs,  filed  according  to  their  respective  measure- 
ments. 

Going  back  to  October,  1871,  it  is  recalled  that  when 
the  new  Harrison  Street  Station  was  built  it  was  called 
the  First  Precinct  Station.  It  is  now  known  as  the  Sec- 
ond Precinct  Station,  the  change  having  been  made  in 
1 89 1,  while  R.  W.  McClaughry  was  superintendent  of 
police. 

W.  W.  Kennedy  was  general  superintendent  of  police 
in  1871.  There  were  three  precinct  stations  in  the  city 
at  that  time,  and  each  of  these  three  stations  had  attached 
to  it  three  sub-stations,  making'  a 'total  of  twelve  stations 
covering  the  entire  city.  From  April  i,  1871,  to  March 
31,  1872,  21,931  arrests  were  made,  and  by  pro-rating 
these  numbers  equally  among  the  stations,  Harrison 
Street  Station  was  entitled  to  1,827. 

The  next  superintendent  of  police  was  Elmer  Wash- 
burn, who  made  monthly  reports  to  the  Board  of  Police 
Commissioners,  but  omitted  giving  certain  statistical  in- 
formation concerning  the  number  of  arrests. 

Jacob  Rehm  followed  him  as  general  superintendent, 
and  during  his  term  of  service  27,995  arrests  were  made 
and  credited  to  the  dififerent  stations,  Harrison  Street 
Station  being  entitled  to  the  greater  part.     In  1875  ^^^ 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION  361 

number  of  arrests  under  Superintendent  Rehm  was  24,- 

899. 

The  next  general  superintendent  of  police  was  M.  C. 
Hickey,  who  was  appointed  October  7,  1875.  During  the 
first  year  of  his  service  the  total  arrests  were  19,206.  In 
1876  there  were  27,291  arrests.  In  1877  there  were 
28,035  arrests,  and  in  1878  the  number  fell  off  to  27,208. 

V.  A.  Seavey  was  the  next  chief  of  police.  He  did  not 
serve  his  time  out,  however,  as  he  died  in  September  of 
that  year.  Following  him,  Captain  Simon  O'Donnell 
was  promoted  to  general  superintendent  of  police,  and 
Captain  William  Buckley  was  put  in  command  at  the 
Harrison  Street  Station,  and  during  the  year  1880  there 
were  28,480  arrests  made  in  the  precinct. 

About  this  time  the  police  telegraph  system  was  in- 
troduced into  the  department.  It  was  invented  by  Austin 
J.  Doyle,  then  secretary  of  the  department,  and  perfected 
by  Professor  Barrett.  By  means  of  this  service  a  patrol- 
man who  is  miles  away  from  this  station  can  easily  com- 
municate with  his  superior  officer. 

William  J.  McGarigle  followed  O'Donnell  as  genera/ 
superintendent.  He  was  appointed  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1880.  During  the  first  year  of  Chief  McGarigle's 
service  the  total  number  of  arrests  for  the  entire  depart- 
ment was  31,713,  Harrison  Street  Station  being  credited 
with  3,643. 

The  following  year,  1882,  Austin  J.  Doyle  assumed 
control  of  the  department  as  general  superintendent, 
and  his  first  report  showed  that  during  the  year  the  total 
number  of  arrests  amounted  to  32,800,  of  which  Harri- 
son Street  Station  was  credited  with  3,733.  In  1883, 
the  second  year  of  Chief  Doyle's  service,  the  population 


362       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

of  the  city  was  estimated  at  675,000.  The  total  number 
of  arrests  this  year  was  37,187. 

Frederick  Ebersold  was  the  next  general  superintend- 
ent of  police,  and  during  the  first  year  of  his  service  in 
1886  the  police  department  was  confronted  with  one  of 
the  most  gigantic  and  fearful  crimes  ever  committed 
and  one  which  will  be  remembered  when  the  present 
force  has  passed  away  forever.  This  was  the  great  Hay- 
market  riot,  which  took  place  in  Haymarket  Square,  near 
th,e  corner  of  Desplaines  and  Randolph  streets,  on  the 
night  of  May  4. 

By.  the  explosion  of  a  dynamite  bomb,  thrown  into 
the  ranks  of  the  policemen  on  duty  there,  one  officer  was 
killed  instantly,  six  fatally  wounded  and  sixty  others 
more  or  less  seriously  injured,  many  of  them  being 
maimed  or  crippled  for  life.  The  story  of  that  riot  has 
been  written  often  and  is  too  well  known  to  be  repeated 
here. 

George  W.  Hubbard  assumed  command  of  the  de- 
partment in  1888,  and  his  report  at  the  end  of  his  first 
term  of  service  showed  that  there  was  a  total  of  50,432 
arrests  in  the  entire  department,  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion being  credited  with  3,522. 

On  January  i,  1890,  Frederick  H.  Marsh  was  made 
general  superintendent  of  police,  and  the  total  number 
of  arrests  for  his  term  increased  very  largely  from  that 
of  the  previous  year  until  it  had  reached  a  total  of 
62,230. 

R.  W.  McClaughry  succeeded  to  the  office  of  general 
superintendent  of  police  May  18,  189 1. 

Michael  Brennen  was  appointed  successor  to  Mc- 
Claughry. This  was  in  the  year  1893,  during. the  World's 
Fair,  and  when  the  number  of  arrests  made  in  the  entir*? 


HARRISON  STREET  STATION  363 

department  reached  the  enormous  figure  of  96,976,  more 
than  30,000  greater  than  two  years  before.  Harrison 
Street  Station  was  credited  with  6,633  of  these  arrests. 

In  the  following  year  the  total  number  of  arrests  fell 
off  about  8,000.  In  the  year  1895,  when  J.  J.  Badenoch 
:was  general  superintendent,  the  total  number  of  arrests 
'dropped  to  83,464. 

Joseph  Kipley  was  the  next  general  superintendent  of 
police,  being  appointed  April  16,  1897,  by  Mayor  Carter 
H.  Harrison.  The  total  number  of  arrests  during  his 
first  term  amounted  to  83,680.  Of  this  number,  4,695 
went  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station.  In  1898  there  were 
77,441  arrests  in  the  entire  department,  Harrison  Street 
Station  being  given  4,347.  Chief  Kipley  was  reappointed 
in  1899,  ^"^  during  that  year  the  grand  total  of  arrests 
reached  71,349.  Of  this  number,  4,917  were  credited 
to  the  Harrison  Street  Station.  Of  a  total  of  70,438 
arrests  made  in  1900,  Harrison  Street  Station  was  cred- 
ited with  4,763.  Chief  Kipley  resigned  at  the  expiration 
of  his  term. 

In  1901  Mayor  Harrison  appointed  Francis  O'Neill 
as  general  superintendent  of  police,  which  office  he  is 
holding  at  the  present  time. 

By  figuring  up  total  arrests  made  by  the  police  depart- 
ment from  1 87 1  to  the  close  of  the  official  year  1900,  ii 
is  seen  that  there  were  422,345  arrests,  and  of  this  amount 
a  fair  calculation  gives  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station 
a  credit  of  111,983. 

This  is  a  brief  history  of  the  old  Harrison  Street 
Station  to  date,  yet  the  half  of  it  has  not  been  told. 
More  space  would  be  required  than  is  consumed  in  this 
entire  volume  to  tell  of  all  that  has  taken  place  within 
its  walls.     The  police  justices  who  have  presided  there 


364       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

could  add  much  to  that  which  is  told  by  the  detectives. 
The  desk  sergeant  and  the  cell-keeper,  the  matron  and   , 
the  patrol-driver,  all  could  figure  in  the  record  of  this 
old  landmark  of  police  history. 

But  it  will  soon  be  only  a  memory.  The  march  of 
progress  is  not  only  consigning  this  station  to  the  dead 
past,  but  is  driving  the  levee  out  of  existence.  Business 
men,  promoting  gigantic  commercial  enterprises,  need 
the  space  occupied  by  the  station  and  that  used  by  dis- 
reputable houses  adjacent  to  it,  for  advancement  of  trade, 
and  in  a  few  years  this  territory  of  depravity,  immorality 
and  crime  will  disappear  from  the  map  of  Chicago. 

Tough  saloon-keepers  and  the  proprietors  of  thieving  . 
resorts  will  be  compelled  to  seek  other  localities.     The 
advance  of  civilization  and  industry  is  too  strong  in  the 
twentieth  century  to  be  obstructed  by  the  cohorts  of  the 
world  of  crime. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  the  world  is  daily  growing 
more  wicked,  but  the  fact  that  morality  will  soon  per- 
vade one  of  the  most  sinful  spots  that  has  evef  thrived 
on  the  face  of  the  earth  disproves  this  assertion.  While 
this  work  is  being  compiled,  two  of  the  most  notorious 
and  vicious  resorts  on  Custom  House  place  have  closed" 
their  doors  under  the  crusade  that  is  being  made  by 
Chief  of  Police  O'Neill.  "Tom"  Gaynor  and  his  brother 
John,  who,  with  all  their  political  "pull"  and  other  in- 
fluence, could  not  stop  the  onward  tread  of  virtue  and 
commerce,  have  decided  to  go  out  of  business. 

Nearly  all  the  criminal  history  of  the  levee  and  Har- 
rison Street  Station  is  contained  in  the  different  stories 
within  the  covers  of  this  book;  the  other  material  facts 
concerning  the  station  are  given  in  this  sketch.  While 
the  author  stands  aloof  and  watches  the  scenes  of  so 


LOTTERY  COMPANIES  RAIDED  365 

many  of  his  dangerous  experiences  melting  away,  he  has 
no  regrets,  but  is  able  to  point  with  pride  to  the  part  he 
has  taken  in  wiping  out  of  existence  one  of  the  greatest 
pest-holes  of  crime  in  the  world. 


LOTTERY  COMPANIES  RAIDED. 

FRAUDULENT     CONCERNS     WITH      HIGH-SOUNDING     TITLES 
ARE  DRIVEN   OUT  OF  BUSINESS. 

Companies  with  high-sounding  names  and  alleged  gi- 
gantic capital  stock  flourished  in  Chicago  for  many  years 
by  conducting  what  was  in  reality  nothing  more  or  less 
than  lotteries.  They  were  patronized  almost  as  exten- 
sively as  the  old  Louisiana  lottery,,  but  it  is  doubtful  i£ 
their  business  was  nearly  as  honest  and  square  as  that 
of  the  old  concern. 

Many  complaints  were  sent  to  the  police  department 
of  Chicago  by  persons  who  claimed  to  have  been  s{vin- 
dled  by  these  concerns.  This  started  an  investigation 
that  resulted  in  the  arrest  of  the  agents  of  two  of  them 
and  their  subsequent  indictment.  The  complaints  were 
placed  in  the  hands  of  Detective  Wooldridge  and  two 
assistants,  who  collected  enough  evidence  to  warrant 
them  to  make  the  arrests. 

On  April  5,  1900,  the  first  man  was  taken  into  custody. 
He  was  D.  H.  Jones,  who  was  the  local  manager  of  the 
Guaranty  Loan  and  Trust  Company  of  San  Francisco, 
with  offices  in  the  Masonic  Temple.  There  the  detective 
took  possession  of  40,000  tickets  and  much  printed  mat- 
ter, including  a  circular  letter  of  warning  to  the  com- 
pany's patrons,  who,  judging  from  the  corresponaence 
and  books  found  in  the  office,  numbered  many  thousands. 


366       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

The  plan  of  this  concern  comprehended,  according  to  its 
hterature,  a  system  of  loans.  It  claimed  that  by  paying 
from  50  cents  to  $2  for  a  certificate  of  membership  in  the 
company,  the  patron  was  enabled  to  borrow  sums  of 
money  ranging  from  $25  to  $25,ocx),  without  having  to 
furnish  security,  providing  that  the  list  of  drawing  certi- 
ficates which  was  issued  contained  a  number  correspond- 
ing to  that  on  the  alleged  certificate  held  by  the  custo- 
mer. 

An  advertisement  inserted  in  the  morning  paper  by  a 
man  who  claimed  he  had  been  swindled  in  this  way  gave 
the  police  the  first  intimation  they  had  that  a  lottery  was 
being  conducted.  This  with  other  evidence  was  deemed 
sufficient  to  sustain  the  charges  of  conducting  and  pro- 
moting a  lottery.  When  Detective  Wooldridge  entered 
Jones'  office  and  asked  if  he  was  in,  he  replied : 

"Yes,  that  is  my  name.  I  suppose  you  wish  to  ne- 
gotiate a  loan," 

"Of  your  time  only,"  answered  Detective  Wooldridge, 
as  he  announced  to  the  manager  that  he  was  under  ar- 
rest. 

This  started  a  wild  confusion  in  the  office.  Stenog- 
raphers attempted  to  escape  by  a  side  door,  and  over- 
turned typewriters,  tables,  chairs  and  waste  paper  baskets 
in  their  flight,  but  all  were  taken  into  custody  before 
they  reached  the  elevator.  These  employes,  however, 
were  not  held  by  the  police,  who  only  took  their  names 
and  addresses  for  the  purpose  of  using  them  as  wit- 
nesses. 

When  arrested,  Jones  was  writing  a  letter  in  which 
he  outlined  precautions  that  should  be  taken  on  account 
of  attempts  which  he  thought  would  be  made  by  the 


LOTTERY  COMPANIES  RAIDED  367 

officials  to  apply  a  lottery  law  to  this  company.     Jones 
was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station  when 
.arrested.    The  next  morning  he  was  held  on  $1,300  bail, 
m  default  of  which  he  was  taken  to  jail. 

The  list  of  bonds  published  by  the  company,  it  was 
found  out,  were  merely  announcements  of  the  prizes  that 
had  been  drawn.  Some  persons  who  owned  tickets  did 
not  receive  loans.  Jones  said  this  was  because  the  col- 
lateral was  no  good.  It  was  found  that  he  conducted 
business  through  the  express  companies  instead  of 
through  the  mails,  but  he  refused  to  give  his  reason  for 
doing  this.  The  company,  according  to  the  circular  let- 
ter which  was  found,  had  three  correspondents,  namely, 
Lathrop  &  Company,  123  Market  street,  San  Francisco, 
for  the  Pacific  states ;  D.  F.  Piatt,  96  Fifth  avenue,  New 
York,  for  the  eastern  states  and  Charles  H.  Kissam,  125 
Dearborn  street,  Chicago,  for  the  middle  and  western 
states.  Among  the  letters  found  was  one  addressed  to 
Kissam  which  read  as  follows : 

"Please  send  me  some  printed  matter  and  rules  in  regard  to 
the  Guaranty  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  as  I  think  I  can  handle 
some  tickets.  I  have  certificate  No.  8061 1  for  January,  1900.  I 
have  ijot  seen  the  list  yet,  but  hope  it's  a  winner." 

Jones  was  indicted  and  held  to  the  criminal  court. 
A  few  days  after  the  arrest  of  Jones,  Detective  Wool- 
dridge  raided  the  office  of  John  J.  Jacobs,  who  was  the 
manager  of 'the  Montana  Mining  and  Investment  Com- 
pany, located  in  Temple  Court  building,  at  the  corner  of 
Quincy  and  Dearborn  streets.  The  same  charge  was 
made  against  him  that  was  made  against  Jones :  that 
of  conducting  a  lottery.  In  this  place  the  detective  seized 
-^certificates,  which  very  closely  resembled  lottery  tickets, 
to  the  face  value  of  $70,000.     Jacobs'  plan  was  similar 


368       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  that  used  by  Jones.  Customers  were  given  certificates, 
whose  value  ran  from  25  cents  to  $1,  and  the  buyer  of 
each  certificate  had  the  right  under  the  stipulations  made 
in  the  circulars  to  borrow  money  without  security  at  any 
time,  but  he  only  could  get  his  money  when  the  number 
on  the  certificate  corresponded  to  a  number  on  the 
monthly  list.  This  in  the  language  of  the  literature  of 
the  company  made  him  an  "eligible  applicant  for  a  loan." 
The  police  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  list  contained 
few  "eligibles."  A  letter  found  in  Jacobs'  office  showed 
that  their  construction  of  the  game  was  correct.  The 
letter  was  ffom  an  agent  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  as 
follows : 

Dear  Sir: — Inclosed  find  November  returns,  also  the  amount 
of  which  I  was  short  in  my  October  account.  Some  time  ago 
I  intimated  to  Mr.  Haupt  that  a  "principal  loan"  to  Philadelphia 
would  swell  my  sales  of  certificates. 

The  $7,500  coming  here  last  month  has  done  the  trick,  and  I 
worked  it  for  all  it  was  worth,  too,  as  far  as  my  stock  of  cer- 
tificates lasted.  A  friend — financially  so  situated  as  to  enable 
him  to  do  so — cheerfully  corroborated  the  statement  of  receiv- 
ing the  money,  with  the  result  that  I  was  completely  sold  out 
of  certificates  several  days  ago.  But  for  some  dilatory  collec- 
tions of  my  sub-agents,  I  believe  I  could  have  sold  at  least  one 
hundred  more;  did  not  send  for  them  for  the  reason  that  I 
probably  would  not  receive  them  on  time. 

Were  I  sole  agent  here  I  would  know  how  to  derive  all  the 
benefit  possible  out  of  all  the  "principal  loans"  you  could  con- 
sistently send  this  way  without  causing  any  ugly  conflictions  or 
unsavory  details. 

The  result  of  such  tactics  would  be  to  knock  out  the  old 
Louisiana,  as  the  money  that  came  to  my  friend  has  converted 
no  less  than  fifty  Louisiana  cranks  into  the  Montana  belief. 

One  of  the  principal  loans  sent  here  occasionally  will  do  the 
businesss.  Yours  sincerely, 

(Signed)     LEW  LEITENBURG. 

It  was  evident  that  $7,500  was  not  distributed  by  the 
company.  A  statement  to  that  effect,  however,  was 
circulated  by  the  Philadelphia  agent,  and  he  induced  his 


LOTTERY  COMPANIES  RAIDED  369 

friend,  who  had  enough  money  to  convince  inquirers  that 
he  had  drawn  a  prize,  to  uphold  him  in  this  statement. 
A  "principal  loan"  was  supposed  to  have  been  made 
in  Philadelphia,  and  then  there  was  a  rush  for  tickets 
and  certificates. 

Jacobs  and  a  bookkeeper,  who  was  also  taken  into 
custody,  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station.  The 
former  did  not  appear  to  be  greatly  disconcerted  by  his 
arrest,  notwithstanding  the  damaging  evidence  found 
against  him  by  Wooldridge.  He  declared  he  had  been 
engaged  in  selling  mining  stocks  on  the  same  plan  in 
Chicago  since  1892,  and  no  efforts  had  ever  been  made 
before  to  interrupt  his  business.  No  attempt  had  been 
made  by  him,  he  said,  to  use  the  United  States  mails 
to  promote  his  plan  of  selling  certificates. 

Abundant  evidence  was  found  in  his  office,  however, 
to  disprove  this  statement.  There  was  a  large  number 
of  envelopes  containing  letters  and  printed  matter  giving 
details  of  his  scheme,  many  of  which  were  from  cus- 
tomers who  had  sent  money  orders,  checks  and  cash, 
amounting  to  a  large  sum,  and  some  making  inquiries 
as  to  when  the  next  drawing  would  take  place.  These 
letters  were  from  every  section  of  the  country  and 
were  writt^  by  persons  in  every  degree  of  life. 

In   the    safe,    which   was   opened   by    the   police,    was 

found   several  hundred  tickets   and  certificates   ranging 

from  25  cents  to  $1.     A  letter  from  an  agent  in  Omaha 

was  found  which  indicated  that  the  company  had  been 

doing  an  extensive  business  there.    It  was  from  a  brother 

of  Davis,  and  was  as  follows: 

"Send  me  $25  worth  of  February  goods  at  25  cents  for  H.  P. 
Hansen,  724  South  Thirteenth  street,  Omaha.  Rush  'em  out  to 
ihe^  Swedish  agent.  I  have  more  business  here  than  a  school 
boy,  and  am  billing  the  city  properly." 


370       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Other  letters  were  found  which  referred  to  "draw- 
ings," and  some  spoke  of  lucky  numbers  and  mentioned 
the  names  of  some  of  the  winners. 

Three  charges  were  made  against  Jacobs,  that  of  con- 
ducting a  lottery,  promoting  a  lottery  scheme  and  selling 
lottery  tickets. 

He  was  held  to  the  grand  jury  in  bonds  of  $1,500  and 
later  indicted. 

Both  these  cases  were  put  on  the  court  calendar  for 
trial,  but  have  not  been  disposed  of  at  this  writing. 
Since  then  there  have  been  no  fraudulent  schemes  of 
this  kind  in  Chicago,  or  at  least  no  complaints  have  been 
made  to  the  police. 


MOB  FOLLOWS  A  PRISONER. 

DETECTIVE     WOOLDRIDGE    ARRESTS     A     MAN     AND    IS    COM- 
PELLED   TO   DEFEND    HIM    AGAINST    LYNCHERS. 

After  a  dangerous  encounter,  Detective  Wooldridge 
arrested  a  colored  footpad,  Charles  Smith,  by  chasing 
him  several  blocks  and  had  to  threaten  to  shoot  the 
leaders  of  the  mob  to  prevent  the  prisoner  from  being 
lynched. 

Wooldridge  was  concealed  in  an  alley  near  Polk  street 
on  the  night  of  June  26,  1894,  for  the  purpose  of  arrest- 
ing some  hold-up  men  who  had  infested  the  locality  for 
some  time.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when  an  old 
gentleman  stepped  into  the  alley  from  Polk  street.  In- 
stantly two  colored  men  seized  him.  One  held  his  throat 
while  the  other,  after  dealing  a  vicious  blow  with  a  slung 
shot,  began  to  go  through  his  pockets. 

Wooldridge  saw  both  of  the  men  when  they" ran  into 


MOB  FOLLOWS  A  PRISONER  371 

the  alley  and  seized  the  stranger,  and  with  one  bound  was 
at  their  side.  Covering  both  robbers  with  his  revolver, 
he  commanded  them  to  surrender.  They  had  not  noticed 
VVooldridge  up  to  this  time,  so  bent  were  they  on  getting 
all  the  change  which  their  victim  might  have  had  in  his 
pockets. 

Both  men  released  their  victim  and  faced  the  officer. 
The  ©ne  with  the  slung  shot  made  a  vicious  blow  at 
Wooldridge,  which,  had  it  taken  effect,  would  have 
crushed  his  skull,  but  the  little  detective  was  not  to  be 
caught  napping  while  he  had  two  desperate  robbers 
facing  him.  He  jumped  aside  and  fired  at  the  man, 
the  shot  taking  effect  in  his  hip,  and  clasping  the  wound 
with  his  hands  the  robber  fell  to  the  ground. 

The  officer  next  seized  Charles  Smith  by  the  coat  tail, 
but  the  cloth  parted,  and  leaving  part  of  his  coat  in 
Wooldridge's  hands  Smith  started  on  a  full  run  west  on 
Polk  street  to  Pacific  avenue.  There  were  hundreds  of 
people  on  the  street,  and  Wooldridge  did  not  dare  shoot 
at  Smith  for  fear  of  hitting  an  innocent  person,  but 
he  fired  three  shots  in  the  air  and  blew  his  whistle,  which 
attracted  two  special  officers  and  a  flagman  for  the  Lake 
Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  railroad  at  the  corner  of 
Taylor  street  and  Pacific  avenue,  who  intercepted  Smith 
in  his  flight  for  liberty. 

He  was  placed  under  arrest  and  a  start  made  for  the 
station,  but  before  going  half  a  block  more  than  five 
hundred  men  xnd  children  surrounded  the  officer  and 
his  prisoner,  and  .cried,  "Hang  the  robber!"  "Hang 
him !" 

Wooldridge  drew  his  revolver,  and  threatened  to  kill 
the  first  man  who  laid  a  hand  on  his  prisoner.     There 


372       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

were  five  or  six  men  in  the  crowd  whom  Wooldridge 
knew  personally,  and  he  called  on  them  for  assistance. 

Smith  was  finally  landed  behind  the  bars  at  the  Har- 
rison Street  Station.  Several  men  were  sent  with  the 
patrol  wagon  to  Polk  street  to  bring  in  the  wounded 
robber,  but  he  had  made  his  escape  and  could  not  be 
found,  though  a  thorough  search  was  made. 

Charles  Smith  was  arraigned  the  following  morning, 
fined  $ioo  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction.  He 
would  have  been  bound  over  to  the  criminal  court,  but 
his  victim  could  not  stay  in  the  city  to  prosecute  him. 


WOMAN  MURDERS  COMPANION. 

ELLA  SHERWOOD,  A   NOTORIOUS   LEVEE  CHARACTER,   SHOOTS 
ANOTHER  WOMAN  TO  DEATH. 

On  the  night  of  June  5,  1894,  two  colored  women, 
Ella  Sherwood  and  Mattie  Moore,  were  drinking  in  a 
saloon  at  the  comer  of  Polk  street  and  Pacific  avenue. 
They  became  engaged  in  a  quarrel,  when  the  Sherwood 
woman  drew  a  revolver  and  shot  her  companion,  who 
fell  to  the  floor  dead.  The  murderess  then  ran  out  of  the 
saloon  and  fled  east  on  Polk  street. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  passing  along  Clark  street, 
and  hearing  the  shot,  started  to  the  saloon  to  see  what 
caused  the  shooting.  He  met  Ella  Sherwood,  and  think- 
ing her  actions  suspicious,  placed  her  under  arrest.  Just 
then  another  officer  came  running  up  and  Wooldridge 
turned  his  prisoner  over  to  him  until  he  could  make  an 
investigation.  Entering  the  saloon  he  found  that  the 
Sherwood  woman  did  the  shooting.     He  then  asked  the 


WOMAN  MURDERS  COMPANION  373 

officer,  who  was  guarding  his  prisoner,  to  call  the  wagon 
and  send  her  to  the  station,  while  he  secured  the  wit- 
nesses. 

This  officer,  finding  it  was  a  murder  and  a  good  catch, 
took  the  woman  to  the  station  and  booked  her  to  him- 
self and  another  officer,  which,  under  the  circumstances, 
was,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  very  unfair  on  his  part.  It 
would  not  have  been  so  bad  if  he  had  only  claimed  a 
share  of  the  honors  with  Wooldridge,  who  made  the 
arrest. 

Wooldridge  gathered  five  or  six  witnesses  and  took 
them  to  the  station,  and  made  a  report  of  the  shooting 
to  the  Chief  of  Police,  not  knowing  that  the  arrest  of  the 
Sherwood  woman  was  credited  to  any  one  except  to 
himself. 

•The  case  was  allowed  to  stand,  the  credit  of  the  arrest 
going  to  the  two  officers,  and  Wooldridge  was  ordered 
to  assist  them  on  the  case.  They  refused  all  assistance 
and  neglected  to  bring  the  witnesses  into  court  or  have 
them  before  the  grand  jury.  They  were  only  accustomed 
to  handling  drunk  and  disorderly  cases,  which  would 
take  care  of^themselves. 

When  the  case  was  called  for  trial  before  the  criminal 
court,  they  knew  nothing,  had  no  witnesses  and  no  evi- 
dence prepared  for  the  state,  consequently  Ella  Sherwood 
was  discharged,  when  she  should  have  been  hanged. 

Few  of  the  notorious  footpads  who  frequented  the 
levee  had  a  greater  criminal  record  than  Ella  Sherwood. 
She  was  one  of  the  most  daring  strong-arm  habitues 
of  this  district.  She  was  an  opium  fiend,  and  one  of  the 
most  vicious  colored  women  that  ever  roamed  the  street 
When  her  temper  was  aroused  she  would  fight  like  an 
infuriated  tigress,  and  was  always  armed  with  a  revolver 


374       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  dirk.  She  has  been  connected  with  a  number  of 
shooting  and  cutting  affrays. 

Some  months  prior  to  the  shooting,  Ella  Sherwood 
robbed  a  ranchman  from  Kansas  of  $375,  which  she  gave 
to  a  saloon  man  to  keep  until  the  robbery  had  blown  over 
and  the  ranchman  had  left  town.  She  then  went  to  him 
and  asked  for  the  money.  He  only  gave  her  the  laugh, 
told  her  he  was  going  to  keep  it,  and  wanted  to  know 
what  she  was  going  to  do  about  it. 

Ella  soon  convinced  him  what  she  was  going  to  do. 
She  armed  herself  with  a  revolver  and  a  baseball  bat. 
With  the  bat  she  knocked  the  front  windows  out,  then 
whipped  out  her  revolver  and  riddled  the  saloon,  almost 
every  bottle  in  the  place  being  shot  into  pieces.  She 
was  arrested,  and  the  saloon  man  lost  no  time  in  turning 
over  the  money,  and  even  refused  to  prosecute  her. 

After  this  a  white  man  with  whom  she  had  been  liv- 
ing deserted  her  for  another  woman,  who  was  also  a 
notorious  footpad.  This  so  aroused  the  jealousy  of  Ella 
Sherwood  that  she  went  after  the  other  woman  and  came 
near  killing  her.  One  of  the  cuts  she  inflicted  commenced 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  eye  and  extended  to  the  lower 
part  of  her  face,  down  to  the  bone.  The  whole  jaw  was 
almost  severed,  and  she  was  marked  for  life. 

Ella  fled  to  Kansas  City,  where  she  was  arrested  by 
Officers  Jones  and  Reed,  brought  back,  and  bound  over 
to  the  grand  jury,  but  when  her  victim  was  wanted  as  a 
witness,  she  could  not  be  found. 

Ella  Sherwood  went  to  Springfield  once  in  company 
with  her  lawyer  for  the  purpose  of  getting  a  negro 
named  Louis  Baker  pardoned.  Baker  was  serving  an 
indefinite  time  in  Joliet  penitentiary  for  larceny.  It  is 
not  known  what  representation  was  made  to  Governor 


WOMAN  MURDERS  COMPANION 


375 


Altgeld  for  clemency,  but  the  chief  executive  of  Illinois 
promised  to  look  into  the  case.  Baker  was  among  the 
batch  of  convicts  pardoned  the  day  before  Thanksgiving 
that  year,  and  the  Sherwood  woman  was  at  the  gates 
to  meet  him. 

She  was  locked  up  later  at  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 
tion charged  with  assault.  While  standing  in  her  cell 
with  her  hands  clutching  the  bars  of  the  door,  she  paid 
this  extravagant  tribute  to  Governor  Altgeld : 

"Mista  Altgeld,  he's  jes'  de  nices'  man  in  de  whole 
state  of  Illinois.  He  pahdoned  out  my  fellow,  Looey 
Baker,  afta  he'd  been  in  Joliet  jes'  twenty-seven  days. 
It  costs  me  fo'  hundred  dollahs  to  get  him  out.  Yes, 
indeed,  fo'  hundred  cool  plunks.  I  tole  Mistah  Ander- 
son if  he  get  Looey  out  I'd  give  him  fo'  hundred,  and 
I  did  jes  as  shoo  as  I'm  standin'  heah.  When  me  and 
Mr.  Anderson  went  down  to  Springfield  to  see  the  gov- 
nah,  he  was  jes'  as  nice  as  pie  to  us.  Mistah  Altgeld 
is  jes'  a  perfec'  gem'en.  It  cuts  no  ice  with  him,  white 
or  black.  We  talked  about  what  a  nice  good  boy  Looey 
was,  an'  de  ole^air  o'  pants  he  stole  wa'n't  no  good. 
When  we  come  home  I  tole  de  govnah  I'd  die  fer  him 
if  he'd  pahdon  Looey,  an'  I  would,  too.  But  it  cost  me 
fo'  hundred,  jes'  de  same." 


37o       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
CLEVER  TOOL  THIEF  CAUGHT. 

DISGUISED    AS    A    PLUMBER,    HE    SYSTEMATICALLY    ROBBED 
THEM  AND  IS  FINALLY  SENT  TO   PRISON. 

Detective  Wooldridge  in  September,  1895,  made  a 
clever  capture  of  a  man  who  made  an  exclusive  business 
of  stealing  plumbers'  tools.  He  had  become  so  perfect 
in  his  methods  that  his  victims  had  almost  despaired  of 
ever  catching  him.  Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed 
on  the  case,  and  after  an  investigation  of  the  complaints 
and  informing  himself  of  the  man's  plan  of  operation, 
arrested  him  in  two  hours. 

For  several  months  complaints  were  made  at  the  Har- 
rison Street  Station  by  the  owners  of  plumbers'  shops 
that  they  were  being  plundered  regularly  of  tools,  lead 
pipes,  etc. 

The  detective  discovered  that  a  man  of  the  name  of 
John  McCabe  was  selling  a  quantity,  of  tools  and  pipe 
at  a  second-hand  store  on  Harrison  street  near  Custom 
House  place,  and  that  he  was  a  daily  visitor  there.  Woold- 
ridge secreted  himself  in  the  second-hand  store  on  Sep- 
tember 19,  1895,  and  after  waiting  two  hours,  was  re- 
warded for  his  trouble. 

Mr.  McCabe,  dressed  as  a  machinist,  with  a  suit  of 
overalls  on,  a  pencil  behind  his  ear,  and  a  book  in  his 
hand,  walked  in.  In  this  guise  he  would  visit  a  plumb- 
ing shop,  and  if  he  found  no  one  there,  which  he  fre- 
quently did,  he  would  use  his  bunch  of  keys,  unlckk  the 
door,  or  in  case  the  keys  did  not  fit  he  would  use  a 
jimmy,  and  get  in  any  way,  taking  away  the  most  salable 
articles. 

He  had  been  seen  many  times  by  the  neighbors  of 
some  of  the  plumbers,   when  he  came  or  went  to  the 


BIRDS  GIVE  ALARM  377 

places,  and  on  several  occasions  was  stopped  and  ques- 
tioned, but  in  the  garb  of  a  machinist,  with  book  and 
pencil,  and  a 'list  of  what  he  had,  he  would  tell  them 
that  the  owner  of  the  shop  had  sent  him,  and  those 
who  made  the  inquiry  would  suppose  it  was  one  of  the 
workmen. 

On  one  occasion,  when  McCabe  could  not  gain  an 
entrance  by  keys  and  was  forcing  his  way,  the  man 
who  lived  next  door  to  the  plumbing  shop,  when  told 
that  the  plumber  had  sent  him  in  great  haste  after  some 
tools,  even  assisted  him  in  forcing  the  door,  thinking 
he  was  doing  his  neighbor  a  good  turn. 

When  arrested,  McCabe  had  his  arms  full  of  tools. 
He  was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station  and  held 
for  a  further  investigation.  Several  hours  later  John 
Pickett,  of  344  Clark  street,  reported  that  his  place  had 
been  broken  into.  He  was  shown  the  tools,  which  he 
identified,  and  also  recognized  McCabe  as  the  man  who 
was  hanging  around  the  shop  when  he  left  it. 

Ten  cases  were  made  out  against  McCabe  and  he  con- 
fessed. He  was  heH  to  the  criminal  court,  indicted,  and 
when  arraigned  for  trial  was  sentenced  October  lo,  to 
an  indefinite  lime  in  the  Joliet  penitentiary  by  Judge 
Sears.  He  had  served  one  term  there  before  for  the 
same  offense. 


BIRDS  GIVE  ALARM. 

ONE    CAUSES    ARREST   OF    A    THIEF   AND   ANOTHER    SAVES   A 
HOUSE   FROM    BURNING. 

Two  birds  figured  as  the  heroes  in  incidents  in  the 
career  of  Detective  Wooldridge.     The  sagacity  of  one 


378       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

caused  the  arrest  of  a  thief,  and  the  other  saved  a  house 
from  destruction  by  fire. 

In  1894,  Siegel,  Cooper  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  the  larg- 
est department  store  in  the  world,  discovered  that  some 
one  had  been  stealing  birds  from  them.  Nearly  every 
day  one  of  the  songsters  was  missed.  One  man,  who 
had  been  frequenting  the  bird  department  daily  and 
buying  a  small  quantity  of  bird  seed,  was  suspected  of  the 
thefts.  He  came  in  as  usual  one  day,  and  just  as  he 
started  to  leave  a  small  boy  saw  him  reach  into  a  cage 
and  take  a  mocking  bird  out.  The  boy  gave  the  alarm 
and  a  clerk  went  in  pursuit  of  the  thief.  When  the 
latter  reached  the  door,  Detective  Wooldridge  entered 
and  heard  the  clerk  accuse  the  man.  Both  his  hands  were 
buried  in  his  pockets.  Wooldridge  inquired  what  he  had 
in  his  pockets. 

"Nothing,"  he  replied,  but  just  then  the  imprisoned 
mocking  bird  began  to  sing,  "Going  to  Leave  My  Happy 
Home."  The  thief  then  gave  up  the  bird,  and  it  was 
returned  to  its  cage. 

The  bird  thief,  who  gave  his  name  as  Charles  Huber, 
was  taken  to  the  station,  where  he  confessed  stealing 
other  birds  and  selling  them.  He  was  sent  to  the  House 
of   Correction. 

In  1897,  a  fire  started  in  the  closet  in  the  flat  of  Mrs. 
Ritter,  on  Wabash  avenue.  Mrs.  Ritter  owned  an  in- 
telligent parrot,  'which,  on  seeing  the  flames  burst  out, 
began  to  scream,  "Fire!"  as  loudly  as  it  could.  At  the 
same  time  some  one  in  the  adjoining  room  discovered 
the  blaze  and  began  to  fire  a  pistol  to  attract  attention. 
Detective  Wooldridge  was  passing  by,  and  after  turn- 
ing in  an  alarm  ran  up  to  the  flat  in  which  the  fire  had 


THE  NiiGRJ  AND  HIS  RAZOR  379 

been  discovered.  The  flames  were  bursting  eut  ©f  the 
closet  and  had  just  reached  a  handsome  piano  cover. 

Wooldridge  caught  tlij  piano  cover,  and  throwing  it 
into  the  closet  clostd  the  door  and  kept  the  blaze  from 
spreading.  The  fire  department  soon  arrived  and  ex- 
tinguished the  fire,  which  caused  very  little  damage. 

The  parrot  continued  to  scream  "Fire!"  "Fire!"  until 
the  firemen  left  the  house.  It  afforded  a  great  deal  of 
amusement  to  every  one. 


THE  NEGRO  AND  HIS  RAZOR. 

HOW  A  PRISONER  TRIED  TO  "cARVE"   HIS  WAY  TO  LIBERTY 
AND   WAS  DEFEATED. 

The  negro  and  his  razor  have  always  cut  a  large  figure 
in  police  and  detective  work.  There  seems  to  be  an 
affinity  between  a  colored  man  and  a  razor. 

Here  is  a  story  which  shows  how  the  detective  was 
adroit  enough  to  prevent  the  use  of  one  of  these  dan- 
gerous and  deadly  weapons  on  him. 

While  patroling  his  post  at  the  Stanton  Avenue  Police 
Station  on  the  night  of  May  27,  1891,  Officer  C.  R. 
Wooldridge  discovered  two  men  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  coming  out  of  a  side  window  from  H. 
Woolmen's  residence,  which  was  in  the  rear  of  his 
tailor  ghop,  31 11  Prairie  avenue.  Officer  Wooldridge 
gave  chase  and  caught  one  of  the  two,  Harry  Anderson, 
who,  after  he  was  placed  under  arrest,  stooped  down, 
presumably  for  the  purpose  of  lacing  his  shoe,  when 
all  at  jxnce  he  reached  for  a  razor  he  had  concealed  on 
the  inside  of  his  sock. 

It  was  very  evident  that  Anderson  intended  carving 
his  way  to  liberty  and  life,  but  both  movemint  and  mo- 


380-      HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

live  were  discovered  before  he  had  time  to  put  them  into 
execution. 

Wooldridge,  with  one  blow  from  his  heavy  oak  baton, 
dehvered  under  the  ear,  knocked  his  prisoner  out,  and 
before  he  came  to  his  senses,  the  detective  had  secured 
the  razor  and  had  the  handcuffs,  or,  as  they  are  called 
in  police  parlance,  "come-alongs,"  on  his  wrists,  and 
at  the  point  of  the  revolver  took  him  to  the  patrol  box, 
called  for  the  wagon  and  landed  him  behind  the  bars. 
The  other  fellow,  who  had  been  with  him,  made  his 
escape. 

It  appears  that  this  man  had  effected  an  entrance  into 
the  residence  by  raising  up  a  window,  and  had  with  his 
partner  collected  several  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  goods, 
which  they  were  tying  up  when  they  were  discovered  by 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  Woolmen,  who  instantly  gave  the 
alarm,  and  the  two  ruffians  fled,  leaving  their  booty  be- 
hind. 

Anderson  was  taken  to  the  Bureau  of  Identification 
at  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station,  and  was  identified 
as  an  ex-convict  who  had  recently  come  from  the  Joliet 
penitentiary,  where  he  had  just  served  a  term  for  the 
same  offense. 

He  was  held  to  the  grand  jury,  but  was  discharged 
because  they  got  the  little  girl  witness  so  confused  on  the 
witness  stand,  she  lost  her  head  completely,  which  weak- 
ened the  evidence.  . 


PREVENTS  A  BURGLARY. 

DETECTINE   WOOLDRIDGE   HAS  A  DESPERATE  HAND-TO-HAND 
STRUGGLE    WITH    THREE    ROBBERS. 

In  the  early  days  of  Detective  Wooldridge's  service 
in  the  Chicago  police  department  and  while  he  was  trav- 


PREVENTS  A  BURGLARY  381 

eling  a  post  from  the  Warren  Avenue  Station,  he  pre- 
vented a  burglary,  which  three  men  were  intent  upon, 
and  captured  one  of  the  robbers  and  wounded  another, 
This  was  accompUshed,  however,  after  one  of  the  most 
desperate  hand-to-hand  struggles  he  ever  engaged  in, 
and  when  it  was  over,  Wooldridge  and  the  captured  man 
were  both  badly  used  up. 

On  the  night  of  June  4,  1889,  Wooldridge  saw  three 
men  near  the  residence  of  Edward  Shaw  cross,  931  Jack- 
son boulevard.  Rain  "had  been  falling  in  torrents  and 
the  officer  was  nearly  as  wet  as  if  he  had  taken  a  plunge 
into  the  lake.  A  heavy  fog  had  settled  over  the  city 
which  enabled  Wooldridge  to  get  close  to  the  burglars 
without  being  detected. 

He  hid  behind  a  small  tree,  and  the  men  came  to 
within  a  few  feet  of  him  and  turned  into  the  alley  in  the 
rear  of  the  residence  and  soon  began  to  bore  holes  in  the 
rear  door  of  the  bourse.  Wooldridge  stepped  out  and 
called  to  them  to  surrender. 

Instead  of  this  they  turned  on  the  officer  and  knocked 
him  down  three  times,  inflicting  a  scalp  wound  in  the  back 
of  the  head.  While  they  had  him  down  he  managed  to 
draw  his  revolver  and  fired.  One  of  his  assailants  fell 
with  a  bullet  in  his  thigh  and  begged  for  his  life.  At  the 
same  time  he  caught  hold  of  the  leg  of  another  and  they 
came  up  together.  When  they  went  down  again  Woold- 
ridge was  on  top.  He  held  fast  to  his  man  and  finally 
clubbed  him  with  the  butt  of  his  revolver  into  submis-, 
sion.  J,n  the  meantime  the  wounded  man  had  gotten  up 
and  ran  away.  Wooldridge  saw  the  third  scaling  a  fence 
and  fired  at  him,  but  he  also  escaped. 

The  shots  brought  two  other  officers  to  his  assistance, 


382       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

who  searched  the  neighoorhood  for  the  two  burglars  who 
had  gotten  away,  but  they  could  not  be  found. 

The  prisoner  was  taken  to  the  station  and  proved  to  be 
Frank  Kelly,  a  notorious  sneak  thief  and  room  worker, 
and  who  had  served  a  term  in  the  penitentiary.  He  had 
also  just  gotten  out  of  the  House  of  Correction,  where 
he  served  a  year  for  larceny. 

When  the  case  was  taken  before  the  grand  jury,  Shaw- 
cross  and  his  wife  requested  that  body  not  to  return  an 
indictment,  as  they  did  not  want  to  appear  as  prosecu- 
tors, and  consequently  Kelly  was  discharged. 


MOB  CLAMORS  FOR  A  THIEF. 

A  pickpocket  came  near  being  mobbed  in  February, 
1894,  for  trying  to  steal  a  purse  from  Mrs.  George  D. 
Potter  at  320  Dearborn  street.  Mrs.  Potter  and  a  lady 
friend  were  standing  in  a  doorway  at  that  number,  when 
she  felt  a  tugging  at  her  coat  pocket,  and  turning,  saw 
a  young  man  with  her  pocketbook  in  his  hand.  She 
struggled  with  the  thief,  but  the  fellow  broke  away  and 
ran,  with  hundreds  of  pedestrians  in  pursuit.  At  Cus- 
tom House  place  and  Harrison  street  Detective  Woold- 
ridge  joined  in  the  chase.  Wooldridge  overtook  the 
fugitive  and  recognized  him  as  John  Burns.  The  officer 
had  a  hard  time  in  getting  the  prisoner  to  the  station. 
The  crowd  which  followed  seemed  determined  to  wreak 
severe  punishment  on  the  thief,  but  another  officer  ap- 
peared and  kept  the  enraged  mob  back,  and  the  man 
was  landed  safely  behind  the  bars  at  the  station,  charged 
with  highway  robbery.  Dr.  Wise  of  324  Dearborn 
street  testified  that  he  saw  Burns  throw  the  pocketbook 


FOUR  WELL-KNOWN  OFFICERS  383 

away,  which  contained  $7,  and  that  he,  the  doctor, 
picked  it  np  and  gave  it  to  the  officer.  Burns  was  ar- 
raigned for  trial  May  16,  1894,  before  Judge  Payne  and 
given  sixty  days  in  the  House  of  Correction. 


FOUR  WELL-KNOWN  OFFICERS. 

SHORT   SKETCHES   OF   A   GROUP   OF    MEN    WHO   FIGURED    IN 
CHICAGO  POLICE  HISTORY. 

This  work  would  scarcely  be  complete  without  a  ref- 
erence to  four  men  who  figured  largely  in  the  police 
history — Michael  J.  Schaack,  the  big  inspector,  whose 
earthly  career  ended  while  still  in  service  at  the  East 
Chicago  Avenue  Station ;  John  R.  Bonfield,  one  of  the 
old-time  inspectors;  Charles  G.  Koch  and  Ed.  Laugh- 
lin. 

Michael  J.  Schaack  was  born  in  Germany  in  1843, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  family  in  1853.  He  came 
to  Chicago  with  his  father  and  mother,  and  entered 
the  regular  police  force  as  patrolman  June  15,  1869,  be- 
ing assigned  to  duty  at  the  old  armory  station. 

He  was  promoted  successively  as  sergeant,  detective 
and  lieutenant.  August  17,  1885,  he  was  made  captain 
and  placed  in  charge  of  the  old  Fifth  precinct,  where 
he  remained  until  a  short  time  after  the  Haymarket 
riot,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Desplaines  Street 
Station,  where  he  remained  until  September,   1887. 

He  was  then  sent  back  to  his  former  station,  and 
laterjvas  made  inspector  of  police  at  the  East  Chicago 
Avenue  Station  by  Mayor  Harrison.  He  remained  on 
duty  there  until  his  death  in  May,   1898. 

John  R.  Bonfield  was  born  in  County  Clare,  Ireland, 


ii84       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

April,  1836.  The  family  came  to  America  in  1842.  In 
the  summer  of  1844  settled  in  Chicago.  In  the  spring 
of  1877  he  began  his  first  duty  in  the  police  department 
as  patrolman  and  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-second 
Street  Station. 

After  two  years  he  was  taken  to  the  Central  Station 
and  placed  on  the  detective  force.  After  this  he  was 
promoted  as  lieutenant  and  given  command  of  the  Twen- 
ty-second Street  District.  Soon  after  the  first  election 
of  Mayor  Harrison,  senior,  he  was  transferred  to  Des- 
plaines  street,  and  a  year  later  was  ordered  to  West 
Twelfth  street,  then  known  as  the  terror  district. 

Following  this,  six  months  later,  he  was  made  captain 
with  headquarters  at  Central  Station.  When  Captain 
Ebersold  was  promoted  to  the  inspectorship,  he  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  Third  Precinct,  and  when 
Ebersold  was  made  superintendent  Bonfield  was  selected 
to  supersede  him  as  inspector.  He  is  at  present  lieuten- 
ant in  charge  of  the  Seventh  Precinct. 

Charles  G.  Koch,  who  is  at  present  on  the  retired  list 
of  captains,  was  born  at  Hessen,  Germany,  in  1847.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1865  and  joined  the  police  force 
in  1872.  While  acting  as  patrolman  he  was  seriously 
wounded  in  a  fight  with  a  half-dozen  tough  characters 
at  Halsted  and  Thirty-seventh  streets. 

He  shot  three  of  them,  two  of  them  dying  the  next 
day.  He  was  promoted  gradually  until  he  reached 
the  position  of  captain,  and  remained  in  the  service  in 
this  capacity  until  he  was  made  inspector  and  assigned 
to  the  Harrison  Street  Station.  He  made  an  enviable 
record  as  a  police  ofiicer. 

Ed.-  Lauf^hlin  was  born  in  County  Kerry,  Ireland,  in 
1843.     He  came  to   Chicago  in    1862   and  entered  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  STREET  TERROR     385 

police  force  in  1872  as  a  patrolman.  He  was  promoted 
rapidly  as  a  reward  for  meritorious  service,  and  became 
lieutenant  of  police  of  the   Harrison   Street   Station. 

Later  he  was  made  inspector  of  police,  and  has  a  long 
and  creditable  record  as  a  police  officer.  He  has  always 
borne  himself  bravely  and  stands  high  in  the  estimation 
of  his  superiors  and  brother  officers. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  STREET  TERROR. 

CAREER  OF   KITTY   ADAMS,   THE   FAMOUS   FEMALE   FOOTPAD 
WHO  SECURED  A  PARDON  FROM   GOVERNOR  ALTGELD. 

One  of  the  most  famous  white  female  footpads  of  the 
levee,  and  one  who  has  given  the  police  as  much  trouble 
as  dozens  of  others  combined  and  terrorized  the  district 
for  more  than  ten  years,  was  Kitty  Adams,  She  was 
known  to  be  a  dangerous  woman  in  all  the  practices  in 
which  the  characters  ot  that  locality  indulged,  and 
though  once  convicted  and  sentenced  to  a  term  in  prison, 
secured  her  release  by  strategy  and  returned  to  her  old 
life. 

Kitty  Adams  was  the  wife  of  a  pickpocket  named 
George  Shine,  whose  picture  is  in  the  rogues'  gallery 
and  who  is  known  to  the  police  as  a  "good  man,"  which 
means  to  the  outsider  that  he  is  a  very  bad  man.  Years 
ago  this  woman  lived  in  a  house  in  the  lower  section 
of  Clark  street  and  was  famous  among  the  police  for 
always  carrying  a  razor.  Whenever^  it  became  neces- 
sary^© arrest  her,  the  officers  who  were  assigned  to  the 
duty  always  kept  an  eye  open  for  the  appearance  of  that 
deadly  weapon.  One  night  her  house  was  raided  and 
she  jumped  from  a  third-story  window.     She  was  pur- 


386       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

sued  by  two  officers  and  ran  down  Clark  street  to  Polk 
street,  where  she  fell  over  a  curbing  and  broke  one  of 
her  collar  bones. 

At  another  time  she  had  some  trouble  with  the  driver 
of  a  scavenger  wagon  in  an  alley  west  of  Clark  street, 
and  drawing  out  her  ever-ready  razor  she  cut  a  gash 
six  inches  long  in  the  side  of  one  of  the  horses.  About 
this  time  she  became  famous  as  one  of  the  band  of  the 
strong-arm  women  which  had  so  long  defied  the  police 
and  which  had  been  such  a  terror  to  strangers  in  Chi- 
cag*©. 

Finally,  however,  she  wag  arrested  and  convicted  of 
highway  robbery  and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  at 
Joliet.  In  a  few  months  her  friends  secured  a  petition 
which  was  signed  by  a  great  many  sympathetic  people, 
declaring  that  she  was  dying  of  consumption  and  re- 
questing the  governor  to  pardon  her.  An  investigation 
followed,  and  when  Kitty  Adams  was  brought  before 
the  committee  on  pardons,  she  convinced  the  members 
of  that  committee  that  she  was  suffering  from  hemor- 
rhages. She  did  this  by  puncturing  her  gums  with  a 
toothpick  until  they  bled  freely.  While  she  was  before 
them,  she  coughed  in  imitation  of  a  consumptive  and 
expectorated  the  blood  from  the  bleeding  gums.  This 
clever  scheme  readily  convinced  the  committee  that  she 
was  going  to  die  in  a  week,  and  when  they  reported 
her  condition  to  the  governor  she  was  at  once  pardoned. 

She  returned  to  Chicago  and  went  back  to  her  old 
haunts,  and  week  after  week  she  was  arrested  on  dis- 
orderly charges,  but  was  usually  discharged  after  paying 
a  small  fine.  On  August  15,  1896,  she  and  Jennie  Clark 
attacked  and  robbed  an  old  and  respectable  business 
man  while  he  was  walking  to  his  home  opposite  Hop- 


HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  STREET  TERROR     38" 

kins'  Theater  on  State  street.  Kitty  at  once  said  to 
her  companion : 

"There's  a  guy  with  rocks.     Let's  get  him." 

In  a  moment  they  overtook  him  and  without  any  for- 
malities Kitty  threw  her  arm  around  his  neck  and  held 
his  head  back,  while  her  partner  in  crime  went  through 
his  pockets  and  relieved  him  of  all  the  money  he  had, 
which  was  only  $5.  This  case  was  made  famous  on 
account  of  the  fact  that  when  the  two  women  were 
arrested  and  arraigned  for  trial,  the  late  Judge  Goggin, 
who  was  then  presiding  in  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
criminal  court,  practically  endorsed  robbery  of  this  char- 
acter and  reprimanded  the  victim  of  these  two  women. 
Before  this  both  women  were  sent  to  jail,  but  the  Adams 
woman  gave  bond  and  did  not  appear  for  trial  when 
the  case  was  called.  Jennie  Clark,  however,  was  in 
court  face  to  face  with  her  victim.  After  hearing  but 
little  of  the  evidence,  Judge  Goggin  stopped  the  proceed- 
ings and  said  to  the  prosecutor,  who  had  just  related  the 
facts  in  the  robbery: 

"It  serves  you  right,  sir.  You  ought  to  have  known 
better.  You  are  an  old  man  and  look  as  though  you 
might  be  a  Sunday-school  teacher.  Probably  you  are 
a  Sunday-school  teacher,  and  have  been  doing  like  many 
others  when  they  want  to  have  a  good  time.  What 
business  had  you  out  at  that  time  is  what  I'd  like  to 
know.     Let  the  prisoner  be  discharged." 

While  the  victim  of  these  two  women  was  in  their 
cluFches  he  shouted  for  help.  At  that  moment  Detective 
Wooldridge  turned  the  corner  of  Congress  street  about 
twenty  feet  away  and  heard  the  cry.  Before  the  robbers 
had  found  their  hiding  places  they  were  caught  by  the 


388       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

detective  and  identified  by  a  number  of  people  who  saw 
the  hold-up. 

In  1898  Kitty  Adams  was  again  arrested  for  larceny. 
She  was  held  to  the  grand  jury,  but  gave  bonds  and 
then  ran  away,  going  to  some  small  town  in  Illinois. 
Later  she  was  arrested  there  as  a  fugitive  from  Justice 
and  taken  back  to  Chicago,  where,  on  June  6,  she  was 
tried  and  sentenced  to  Joliet  penitentiary  for  an  in- 
definite term,  and  it  is  not  likely  she  will  get  out  on  the 
same  pretense  which  liberated  her  before. 


HE  SAVED  HIS  STAR. 

Detective  Wooldridge  probably  saved  his  star  once 
by  preventing  the  escape  of  a  prisoner  whom  he  had 
arrested  for  robbery.  On  October  6,  1895,  Monroe 
Thompson,  alias  Chick  Monroe,  a  colored  highwayman, 
held  up  an  aged  soldier  at  Polk  and  State  streets,  robbed 
him  of  $36  and  got  away  with  the  money.  He  was 
arrested  the  next  day  by  Detective  Wooldridge  and  taken 
before  Justice  Underwood  for  trial.  The  detective  turned 
away  for  a  minute  in  the  court  room,  and  the  negro  made 
a  dash  for  liberty.  Wooldridge  wheeled  in  time  to  see 
his  prisoner  trying  to  escape,  and  started  in  pursuit. 
The  fugitive  and  detective  rushed  through  the  crowd 
in  the  court  room,  and  a  number  of  persons  in  attend- 
ance were  roughly  handled  by  both,  but  Wooldridge  was 
determined  to  recapture  his  man.  One  woman  was 
tumbled  over  into  a  crowd  of  Chinamen  who  were  pres- 
ent and  her  screams  aroused  the  whole  room.  Thomp- 
son was  caught  by  Wooldridge  just  as  he  reached  the 
door,    and    was   brought  back   and   held    to   the   grand 


COULD  NOT  STOP  A  WEDDING  389 

jury  under  bonds  of  $800,  after  taking  a  change  of 
venue  from  Justice  Underwood  to  Justice  Richardson. 
When  the  case  reached  the  grand  jury,  however,  it  was 
thrown  out  because  the  victim  of  the  robbery  refused  to 
return  and  prosecute. 


COULD  NOT  STOP  A  WEDDING. 

PROSPECTIVE    BRIDEGROOM     ROBBED    BY     A    THIEF,     WHICH 
REVEALS    A    ROMANCE. 

The  work  of  a  detective  often  reveals  some  strange 
stories,  some  of  which  are  filled  with  romance  and  others 
with  misfortunes,  sorrows  and  distress.  The  one  re- 
lated below  discloses  a  romance  and  acquaints  us  with 
a  hero  who  would  not  permit  a  footpad  to  interrupt  his 
wedding. 

He  was  smiling  in  spite  of  two  heavy  valises,  when  he 
passed  through  the  gate  and  took  a  seat  in  the  forward 
end  of  one  of  the  coaches  of  the  three-o'clock  east-bound 
train.     The  train  left  on  time. 

Before  it  had  proceeded  to  Sixteenth  street  some 
mysterious  hand  had  pulled  the  bell  cord.  While  pas- 
sengers and  train  crew  looked  about  to  see  why  the 
train  had  stopped  so  suddenly,  John  Johnson,  a  farmer 
of  Calloway,  Custer  county,  Neb.,  was  pursuing  a  Chi- 
cago robber  up  Clark  street.  The  highwayman  had  $120 
of  Mr.  Johnson's  money. 

The  thief  ran  down  the  street  and  turned  into  an  alley, 
soon  distancing  Johnson.  The  latter  was  directed  to  the 
Harrison  Street  Police  Station  to  report  the  robbery. 

It  was  on  a  Sunday,  about  3  p.  m.,  when  he  came  rush- 
ing into  the  station,  hat  in  one  hand,  two  valises  in  the 


390       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

other,  and  the  perspiration  streaming  down  his  face. 
He  certainly  bore  the  most  forlorn  and  distressed  face 
ever  seen,  and  in  a  loud  voice  asked  "if  that,"  meaning 
the  police  station,  "was  the  Mayor's  office,  and  where 
the  Chief  of  Police  was,  for  he  wanted  to  see  him  right 
away  on  d — d  important  business." 

Thinking  him  some  eccentric  or  a  crazy  person,  the 
desk  sergeant  and  several  others  standing  by  thought 
to  have  a  little  fun  at  his  expense,  and  pointed  out  De- 
tective Wooldridge,  who  just  then  entered  the  room,  as 
the  chief,  to  whom  he  narrated  his  troubles  with  tears 
in  his  eyes. 

He  shook  like  a  man  with  palsy.  He  said  his  name 
was  John  Johnson,  from  Calloway,  Custer  county.  Neb., 
and  that  he  was  on  his  way  east  to  be  married,  and 
that  he  was  due  in  Cleveland  December  3,  as  he  was  to 
be  married  that  night ;  that  as  he  boarded  the  train  a 
thief  had  snatched  his  pocketbook  and  fled. 

Wooldridge  secured  a  description  of  the  man  and  told 
him  every  stone  should  be  turned  that  could  be,  and 
that  he  would  put  out  twenty  of  the  best  detectives  on 
the  force  and  have  the  man  inside  of  a  few  hours,  or 
any  way  by  morning,  if  he  would  wait  over. 

To  that,  however,  he  said  "  No  "  most  emphatically, 
declaring  that  he  did  not  intend  to  remain  over  one 
minute  longer  than  the  next  train,  which  left  at  8  p.  m., 
as  he  did  not  propose  to  disappoint  that  "gal,"  who  had 
waited  for  him  fifteen  years. 

"I  will  be  there  in  time  for  the  wedding,"  was  the 
telegram  John  Johnson  sent  from  the  Lake  Shore  sta- 
tion to  Miss  Isabella  Martha  Rust  at  3272  Spadford 
avenue,  Cleveland. 

The  robbery  of  John  Johnson  brought  to  light  a  little 


COULD  NOT  STOP  A  WEDDING       391 

romance  which  had  been  running  its  course  for  fifteen 
years.  John  Johnson  and  Martha  Isabella  Rust  were 
playmates  together  in  South  Victoria,  Canada.  Their 
parents  lived  near  each  other,  on  the  same  street  of  the 
little  Canadian  town,  and  in  the  morning  when  Martha 
Isabella  Rust  started  for  school,  she  found  John  John- 
son waiting  on  the  curb  to  carry  her  lunch,  and  hand- 
in-hand  they  tripped  along  to  the  school-house. 

"When  we  get  big  like  papa  and  mamma,"  said  John, 
"we  will  get  married.  I  will  be  your  husband  and  you 
will  be  my  wife." 

Martha  Isabella  agreed  to  the  proposal  every  day  or 
two,  and  so  the  children  grew  to  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. But  when  they  did  get  old  enough  to  think  about 
marriage  and  a  word  of  their  intentions  was  whispered 
to  their  parents,  a  prohibitory  command  was  issued. 
Then  John  secretaly  plighted  troth  with  his  young  fiancee 
and  left  Canada  to  winius  fortune. 

"  When  I  am  rich,"  he  told  her,  "  I  will  return  and 
we  will  be  married  anyway." 

Johnson  crossed  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  there  heard 
of  the  opportunities  for  young  men  in  the  far  west. 
He  took  a  train  for  the  cattle  ranges  of  Nebraska.  Sev- 
eral years  were  spent  in  the  saddle,  and  saving  the  money 
that  he  earned.  Finally  he  had  enough  money  in  the 
bank  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  and  stock  it.  This  was  two 
miles  from  Calloway,  in  Custer  county.  Everything  pros- 
pered and  soon  more  land  and  more  cattle  were  pur- 
chased. 

By  the  heat  of  buffalo-chip  fire  John  fried  his  own 
steak  and  made  his  own  coffee  until  he  thought  he  could 
support  a  wife.  He  wrote  to  Martha  Isabella  Rust,  who 
had  moved  to  Cleveland.     She  was  of  the  "  old  opinion 


392       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

still,"  and  John  made  her  a  visit.  The  day  set  for  the 
Wedding  was  December  3.  He  returned  to  his  home  to 
await  the  day. 

Meanwhile  he  sold  some  cattle,  procured  a  wedding  suit, 
and  with  $200  in  his  pocket  started  for  Cleveland.  He 
reached  Chicago  and  went  to  the  Garden  City  Hotel  for 
^the  night.  He  was  so  pleased  over  the  outcome  of  the 
long  courtship  that  he  told  all  of  the  guests  of  the  hotel 
about  it  and  about  the  money  in  his  pocket. 

When  he  went  to  the  depot  and  sat  down,  a  stranger 
paced  back  and  forth  before  him.  When  Johnson  boarded 
the  train  this  same  man  came  through  the  car. 

"  Will  you  give  me  a  match  ?  "  he  asked.  Johnson  ac- 
commodated him,  and  the  man  went  into  the  smoker. 
After  the  train  had  started  the  man  returned  and  asked 
Johnson  to  give  him  two  $10  bills  for  four  $5  bills.  John- 
son drew  his  roll  of  money  out  and  searched  for  the  bills. 
The  man  seized  a  handful  and  rushed  to  the  door.  John- 
son caught  him,  but  was  knocked  down.  Then  Johnson 
pulled  the  bell  cord  and  brought  the  train  to  a  stop.  He 
seized  his  two  valises  and  pursued  the  fugitive.  The  man 
escaped,  and  Johnson  applied  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Police  Station. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  search  for  the 
robber.  The  chief  of  detectives  of  the  Lake  Shore  road 
also  offered  assistance,  and  he  requested  Johnson  to  stay 
a  few  days  until  a  search  could  be  made. 

"  Not  a  day,"  said  Johnson.  "  I  have  waited  fifteen 
years  and  I  have  said  that  it  shall  come  off  Wednesday. 
I  will  be  there  if  I  am  robbed  a  hundred  times,  and  I 
have  telegraphed  home  for  more  money.  Do  you  think 
I  will  permit  a  Chicago  footpad  to  prevent  what  my 
parents  fought  against  in  vain  for  fifteen  years  ?  " 


MURDER  WILL  OUT  393 

When  Johnson  returned  to  Chicago  with  his  bride, 
Detective  Wooldridge  had  the  thief  under  bond,  but  the 
young  wife  persuaded  her  husband  to  proceed  to  their 
western  home.  She  declared  they  could  do  without  the 
money  that  had  been  stolen,  and  did  not  want  her  husband 
to  have  to  return  to  Chicago  to  attend  the  trial.  The 
case  was  therefore  dismissed  for  want  of  prosecution. 


MURDER  WILL  OUT. 

THIS     IS     DEMONSTRATED,     ESPECIALLY     WHEN     GOOD     DE- 
TECTIVE    WORK     IS    DONE. 

Police  officers  have  been  connected  with  many  cases 
in  which  the  truth  of  the  saying  that  "  murder  will  out  " 
was  demonstrated.  One  of  these  cases  came  up  in  the 
work  of  Detective  Wooldridge. 

On  October  6,  1893,.  David  Conners,  alias  "  Daddy  " 
Connors,  and  James  Lamon,  a  brakeman,  gambler  and 
confidence  manj/went  to  Charles  Patterson's  saloon,  1441 
State  street,  and  engaged  in  a  game  of  dice.  .Lamon  and 
Connors  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  and  blows  were 
passed  between  them.  They  were  separated  by  the  pro- 
prietor and  Lamon  was  advised  to  go  home. 

He  started,  and  had  just  got  out  on  the  sidewalk  and 
on  the  way  to  his  boardiilg-house,  when  Connors  started 
after  him.  Patterson  and  a  man  named  Bauer  tried  to 
stop  him,  and  discovered  that  he  had  a  knife  in  his  hand. 
Breaking  away,  he  again  started  on  a  run  after  Lamon. 
^auer  called  to  Lamon  to  look  out  for  Connors,  as 
he  had  a  knife.  At  the  warning  Lamon  turned  around, 
and  as  he  did  so  Connors  slashed  the  knife  across  the 
abdomen,  inflicting  a  wound  which  disemboweled  him. 


394       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE   WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Bauer  ran  up  and  grabbed  Connors  and  attempted  to  hold 
him  until  the  arrival  of  the  police,  but  Connors  slashed 
at  him  with  the  knife,  cutting  his  coat  in  several  places, 
but  fortunately  he  escaped  with  only  a  slight  wound. 

Connors  broke  away  and  made  his  escape.  Lamon  was 
taken  to  the  St.  Luke's  Hospital  where  he  lingered  for 
a  few  days  and  died. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  detailed  on  the  case.  Lamon 
refused  to  tell  who  did  the  cutting,  although  notified 
that  he  was  in  a  serious  condition  and  would  die. 

The  detective  finally  secured  the  names  of  those  in  the 
saloon  at  the  time,  and  arrested  and  took  them  to  the 
station.  At  first  they  refused  to  give  any  information, 
but  after  being  locked  up  a  while,  one  of  them  weakened 
and  said  that  it  was  "  Daddy  "  Connors,  and  little  by 
little  the  information  was  pumped  out  of  them  until  he 
had  the  whole  facts. 

Before  Lamon  died  he  took  his  ante-mortem  state- 
ment at  the  hospital,  and  with  all  this  information  at- 
tended the  inquest.  The  jury  heard  the  evidence  and 
recommended  that  Connors  be  held  to  the  grand  jury  for 
the  murder  of  James  Lamon. 

Wooldridge  next  secured  a  photograph  and  descrip- 
tion of  Connors,  and  issued  a  circular  to  locate  and  ar- 
rest him.  On  April  lo,  1894,  Wooldridge  learned  that 
he  was  in  Chicago  and  notified  the  Chief  of  Police. 
Through  his  eflForts  and  work  Connors  was  located  on 
the  west  side,  and  a  number  of  officers  were  detailed  to 
assist  Wooldridge  to  arrest  him.  He  was  arrested  and 
Wooldridge  took  charge  of  the  case,  and  when  the  trial 
came  up,  through  the  evidence  presented  by  Wooldridge 
and  his  untiring  energy  in  pushing  it,  Connors  was,  on 
November  30,   1894,  sentenced  in  Judge   Blank's  court 


BURGLAR  IN  WOMEN'S  CLOTHES  395 

to  twenty-one  years  in  the  p^nitentiary.     He  died  there 
two  years  later. 


BURGLAR  IN   WOMAN'S   CLOTHES. 

YOUNG   MAN    WHO   ROBBED   A   SALOON    FALLS    INTO   A   TRAP 
SET    BY    THE    DETECTIVE. 

A  clever  and  successful  plan  was  executed  by  De- 
tective Wooldridge  in  August,  1891,  to  capture  the  men 
who  robbed  H.  Wagner,  a  saloon  keeper  at  3144  State 
street.  The  burglars  rifled  his  cash  drawer  and  also  took 
away  a  large  quantity  of  tobacco,  cigars  and  liquors. 

Wooldridge  was  assigned  to  the  case,  and  after  making 
a  careful  investigation,  he  learned  that  a  few  minutes 
before  the  saloon  was  closed  on  thic  night  of  the  robbery, 
R.  Halman  and  William  Hoyt  were  there,  and  that  Hoyt 
was  dressed  as  a  wonian  and  wore  a  thick  veil  which 
completely  concealed  his  features. 

Some  time  after  the  saloon  closed,  both  these  young 
men  were  observed  to  be  acting  in  a  very  suspicious  man- 
ner, and  the  detective  also  uncovered  l';c  fr.ct  t'r.at  on 
the  following  day  Hoyt  had  a  plentiful  s"p;;!y  of  cigars, 
tobacco  and  liquor.  Further  inquiry  developed  the  fact 
that  he  was  living  with  his  mother  not  a  very  great  dis- 
tance from  the  scene  of  the  robbery. 

Wooldridge  made  a  number  of  visits  to  the  residence 
of  his  mother,  but  each  time  was  informed  that  the 
young  man  was  not  at  home.  It  appeared  th.at  he  had 
heard  he  was  suspected  of  the  robbery  and  kept  away. 

Then  the  detective  devised  a  plan  which  resulted  in 
the  arrest  of  the  robber.  He  wrote  a  note  to  him  and 
sent  it  to  his  mother's   residence,  in  which  he   said  he 


396       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

had  heard  he  was  out  of  work,  and  a  friend  of  his  had 
asked  him  (Wooldridge)  to  get  him  a  position.  He  knew 
a  place  that  was  open  and  could  secure  it  if  he  would 
meet  him  at  the  store  of  a  certain  firm  that  night  at  8 130 
o'clock, 

Hoyt  appeared  on  time,  and  was  then  arrested  and 
taken  to  the  Stanton  Avenue  Station,  where  he  confessed 
to  the  burglary.  When  he  was  arraigned  •for  trial  the 
court  was  lenient  and  he  was  fined  $50. 


TRIES  TO  HIDE  HER  SHAME. 

SERVANT    GIRL    NEARLY    KILLS    HER    ILLEGITIMATE    CHILD 
BUT   IT  IS  SAVED  BY  THE  DETECTIVE. 

There  are  two  worlds  in  the  life  of  a  police  officer. 
He  sees  the  criminal  side  of  life,  and  he  sees  life  from 
a  sympathetic  side.  Sometimes  he  sees  from  the  latter 
point  alone,  and  when  he  does  he  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful moral  agents  in  the  long  list  of  charitable  institu- 
tions. A  woman  in  distress,  who  has  been  the  victim 
of  a  heartless  man,  or  a  family  suffering  from  the  ad- 
versities of  life  often  become  objects  of  the  especial  care 
of  these  guardians  of  the  peace,  and  the  heroic  work 
they  do  for  these  people  would  often  stagger  the  profes- 
sional reliet  societies,  if  they  were  acquainted  with  the 
facts. 

One  peculiar  and  interesting  case  presented  itself  to 
Detective  Wooldridge,  and  it  came  up  in  the  regular 
routine  of  his  duties.  The  wife  of  a  gentleman  residing 
on  Vernon  avenue  rushed  into  the  Stanton  Avenue  Station 
one  evening  and  excitedly  exclaimed  that  there  were 
burglars  or  ghosts  or  something  in  her  cellar.     She  said 


TRIES  TO  HIDE  HER  SHAME  397 

she  had  gone  into  the  cellar  to  get  some  coal  and  heard 
sounds  which  almost  made  her  hair  turn  gray. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  sent  to  Aake  an  investiga- 
tion, and  when  he  reached  the  house,  which  was  only 
a  few  blocks  from  the  station,  he  led  the  way  to  the 
basement  with  a  revolver  in  each  hand,  followed  by  the 
frightened  woman  with  a  lamp  and  a  hatchet.  A  man 
who  roomed  in  the  house  armed  himself  with  a  rolling 
pin,  and  a  serv  came  next,  leading  a  pugnacious  look- 
ing bull-dog. 

And  what  did  they  find?*  Not  a  burglar,  not  a  ghost, 
but  a  little  baby,  wrapped  in  a  mop  cloth  and  rags,  lying 
in  a  market  basket.  On  top  of  the  basket  there  was  a 
large  board,  and  on  this  was  a  pile  of  lumber.  The  help- 
less little  one  was  left  alone  to  die  of  starvation  or  to  be 
devoured  by  the  rats  which  infested  the  cellar,  and  the 
author  of  this  act  of  chielty  was  the  mother  of  this  child, 
a  German  girl  who  was  employed  as  a  servant  in  this 
family. 

Censure  would  naturally  follow  an  inhuman  act  of  this 
character,  but  it  will  be  asked  if  the  girl  was  more  re- 
sponsible than  the  base-hearted  villain  who  w^s  the  cause 
of  her  downfall.  She  was  compelled  to  work  for  a  living, 
and  in  her  hour  of  distress  he  deserted  her.  She  could 
not  afiFord  to  lose  her  position,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  the  deliverance  of  this  child  of  sin  and  indiscretion, 
she  went  to  the  basement  alone,  in  the  dead  hours  of  the 
ntght,  and  consigned  it  to  whatever  fate  awaited  it. 

There  was  no  physician  or  nurse  to  help  her  in  this 
liour  of  the  greatest  trial  of  a  woman's  life,  and  her 
heroism  went  even  further.  She  arose  the  following  day 
and  began  .her  regular  duties;    worked  the  entire  day; 


398       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

did  a  large  washing,  and  scrubbed  two  flights  of  stairs, 
besides  many  other  things  which  are  required  of  a  servant. 

She  must  hide 'her  shame  at  any  cost,  and  no  one, 
except  a  woman  who  has  known  the  sufferings  of  ma- 
ternity, can  really  understand  what  this  poor  girl  must 
have  endured. 

Suspicion,  of  course,  was  directed  toward  the  girl. 
At  first  she  persistently  denied  all  knowledge  of  the 
child,  which  had  not  even  been  washed  after  its  birth, 
but  under  the  close  questioning  of  the  detective,  she 
finally  broke  down  and  confessed  that  she  was  the  mother 
of  the  little  foundling.  The  baby  through  neglect  had  al- 
most lost  its  eyesight,  but  it  and  the  mother^  were  taken 
to  the  county  hospital  in  the  police  ambulance  in  charge 
of  an  officer,  and  a  complaint  of  child  abandonment  and 
an  attempt  to  murder  was  lodged  against  the  young 
woman. 

In  three  weeks'  time  the  young  mother  recovered  thor- 
oughly, and  under  the  skillful  treatment  of  physicians  the 
child's  eyes  were  saved.  Then  that  little  baby  girl  grew 
in  strength,  and  beauty  set  its  mark  on  its  pale  face. 

The  story  of  the  unfortunate  girl  was  told  to  some 
sympathetic  and  kind  neighbors,  who  went  to  her  rescue. 
They  raised  by  subscription  enough  money  to  buy  the 
baby  a  lot  of  comfortable  clothing,  and  made  its  little  life 
as  happy  as  it  was  possible  to  do  under  the  circumstances. 

The  natural  love  and  affection  of  a  mother  grew  in  the 
young  girl  and  won  her  many  friends  in  the  hospital. 
When  she  was  arraigned  at  the  Thirty-fifth  Street  Police 
Court  before  Justice  Wallace,  the  court  and  public  were 
moved  to  tears,  and  for  the  good  of  both  she  was  dis- 
charged, and  the  child  placed  in  the  Home  for  the  Friend- 
less, where  the  mother  paid  for  its  board.     SJie  married 


WOMEN  GAMBLE  IN  STOCKS  399 

later,  and  the  little  girl  grew  to  be  one  of  the  most  lovely 
children  the  sun  ever  shone  upon,  and  seven  years  later 
she  v^as  the  pride  of  the  woman  who  once  abandoned  her. 


WOMEN  GAMBLE  IN  STOCKS. 

DETECTIVES    RAID    A    BUCKET    SHOP    AND    ARREST    FEMALES 
TEMPTING  FORTUNE  OVER  THE  TICKER. 

Women  are  frequently  lured  by  the  ticker  in  the  bucket 
shop  as  well  as  men,  and  in  a  raid  made  by  Detective 
Wooldridge  on  the  fifth  floor  of  the  Rialto  building,  he 
found  a  dozen  there  who  were  trying  to  better  their  for- 
tunes.        ~" 

When  the  officers  entered,  there  was  great  confusion. 
Some  of  the  women  screamed  with  terror,  others  sobbed 
as  if  they  were  heartbroken,  while  a  few  took  their  ar- 
rests very  philosophically  and  laughed,  over  the  pre- 
dicament in  which  they  found  themselves. 

Costly  and  magnificent  dresses  adorned  some  of  them, 
while  others  wore  gems  that  cost  thousands  of  dollars. 
All,  however,  did  not  present  these  evidences  of  pros- 
perity. There  were  some  who  seemed  to  come  from  the 
poorer  classes.  Their  costumes  showed  that  if  they  were 
ever  possessed  of  the  luxuries  of  a  fine  wardrobe  it  had 
been  some  time  before,  but  each  eagerly  watched  the  rise 
and  fall  of  grain,  stocks  and  provisions. 

All  of  them  were  arrested  and  taken  to  the  police  sta- 
tion in  the  patrol  wagon,  where  they  were  locked  up. 
This  frightened  them  more  than  the  raid,  and  they  vigor- 
ously protested  at  the  sight  of  a  prison  cell. 

They  finally  gave  bond  and  were  released.  In  the 
rooms  occupied  by  the  bucket  shop  the  officers  found  five 


400       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tickers,  one  of  which  was  supposed  to  be  connected  with 
a  similar  institution  in  the  Chicago  Opera  House  build- 
ing. There  were  also  seven  telephones.  The  proprietor 
had  been  posing  as  a  member  of  the  New  York  Stock 
Exchange,  stating  that  he  had  a  direct  wire  with  an  east- 
ern correspondent. 

The  raid  was  instigated  by  the  wife  of  a  prominent 
Chicago  lawyer,  who  resided  in  the  Morrison  Hotel.  She 
claimed  that  the  proprietor  of  the  place  had  swindled  her 
out  of  $1,200  by  means  of  alluring  circulars  and  pam- 
phlets alleging  that  he  was  a  regular  broker  and  member 
of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange. 

A  typewritten  circular,  ready  for  the  printers,  was 
among  the  property  confiscated..  This  is  the  alluring 
language  of  the  circular  which  caused  the  raid  and  which 
has  separated  many  unsuspecting  persons  from  their  hard^ 
earned  money : 

"Our  financial  methods  and  enterprise  may  not  be  indorsed  by 
narrow-minded,  pessimistic  wiseacres.  To  these  we  can  only 
assert  that  if  you  will  stop  to  give  the  points  herein  presented 
careful  consideration,  you  will  perhaps  realize  your  vision  has 
been  too  narrow,  and  there  are  to-day  greater  opportunities  than 
ever  for  making  large  profits  in  a  perfectly  safe  manner.  No- 
where has  wealth  accumulated  so  fast  in  recent  years  as  has 
been  the  case  in  Wall  street.  It  is  there  that  millions  have  been 
added  to  the  fortunes  of  the  Vanderbilts,  Goulds,  Rockefellers, 
Morgans  and  people  of  that  class. 

"The  real  facts  are  that  the  grand  or  tidal  movement  in  Wall 
street  (not  the  daily  fluctuations)  are  arranged  by  men  who  con- 
trol millions;  in  other  words,  the  insiders  of  those  corporations 
whose  securities  are  dealt  in,  certain  Wall  street  banks  and  some 
of  the  big  life  insurance  companies.  Do  such  notoriously  con- 
servative people  play  a  game  of  chance?  Not  much;  these  men, 
the  real  insiders,  do  not  put  their  millions  into  a  scheme  that  de- 
pends unon  .1  hazard,  and  as  they  are  sure  to  win,  it  is  equally 
certain  that  an  outsider,  unless  exceptionally  well  advised,  is  sure 
to  lose.    I  am  on  the  inside." 

Thousands  believe  every  word  that  is  written  of  the 
glittering  opportunities  to  make  money.  If  the  victims 


GIRLS  IN  BONDAGE  401 

of  these  men  would  only  stop  to  consider  the  fact  that  if 
any  one  is  sufficiently  posted  to  double  money  in  grain 
speculation,  he  would  use  his  own  capital  and  make  a 
fortune,  instead  of  trying  to  make  a  fortune  by  charging 
a  small  commission  for  handling  the  money  of  some  one 
else,  much  misery  and  disappointment  would  be  pre- 
vented. 

A  man  who  is  "  on  the  inside  "  in  reality  can  get  all 
the  money  in  all  the  banks  of  Chicago  to  speculate  with 
instead  of  getting  the  small  savings  of  poor  men  and 
women. 

Those  v/ho  were  arrested  on  the  occasion  referred  to 
above  were  discharged  the  next  morning  on  the  payment 
of  costs. 


GIRLS  IN  BONDAGE. 

DETECTIVE   WOOLDRIDGE  /RESCUES  TWO   YOUNG   GIRLS    FROM 
A    LIFE   OF  DEPRAVITY. 

Through  the  aid  of  Detective  Wooldridge,  Hattie  Wil- 
son and  Maude  Brown,  two  young  girls,  neither  of  whom 
were  eighteen  years  of  age,  escaped  from  a  bondage 
worse  than  death,  at  445  and  447  Clark  street,  on  October 
18,  1895. 

The  girls  had  been  prisoners  in  the  place  for  several 
days,  the  landlady,  Blanche  McCarty,  taking  their  cloth- 
ing from  them  and  locking  them  in  a  room  on  the  top 
floor,  where  their  cries  for  rescue  were  useless. 

The  girls  were  virtually  sold  into  bondage  for  the  sum 
of  $5  per  head.  Both  came  of  good  and  respectable 
though  poor  families  from  South  Bend.  Maude  Brown's 
father  was  a  carpenter,  and  the  other  girl's  father  an  ex- 


402       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

pressman.  Both  of  the  girls  appeared  to  be  respectable 
and  were  too  young  to  be  of  an  abandoned  character. 
They  met  two  young  men  who  gave  the  names  of  Burk 
and  Davis  at  the  races  at  South  Bend. 

These  young  men  told  the  girls  of  golden  opportunities 
to  make  money  in  Chicago,  guaranteeing  that  it  could 
be  done  by  honest  means.  Their  oily  tongues  won  the 
day,  and  the  four  came  to  the  city  on  the  Lake  Shore 
&  Michigan  Southern.  Arriving  here,  the  men  took  the 
girls  to  Peck  court,  placed  them  in  a  room,  and  kept  them 
over  Saturday  and  Sunday.  Monday  night  the  men  took 
them  to  the  McCarty  woman's  place  and  turned  them 
over  to  the  latter,  receiving  as  a  reward  $io. 

The  girls  said  the  men  told  them  that  the  woman 
would  keep  them  about  ten  minutes.  Instead,  Mrs.  Mc- 
Carty locked  them  in  a  room  and  took  away  their  cloth- 
ing. 

The  girls  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go,  insisting  that  they 
did  not  want  to  live  a  life  of  shame.  It  was  useless. 
Finally,  they  wrote  a  letter  telling  their  troubles,  and 
dropped  it  through  the  window  to  a  boy  who  happened 
to  be  passing  by,  and  begged  him  for  God's  sake  to  take 
it  to  the  police  station.  The  next  few  hours  were  full 
of  anxiety  for  the  girls,  but  the  note  was  carried  to  De- 
tective Wooldridge  at  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Sta- 
tion, who  lost  no  time  in  going  to  the  rescue. 

When  found,  the  girls  were  almost  nude.  Officer 
Wooldridge  provided  them  with  wrappers  and  took  them 
to  the  Harrison  Street  Annex.  The  two  men  who  acted 
as  procurers  were  searched  for,  but  escaped.  The  place 
at  445  Clark  street  is  notorious.  The  girls  were  held 
until  their  relatives  were  notified. 

Blanche  McCarty  was  arrested,  locked  up  in  the  Har- 


NOT  SO  GREEN  AS  HE  LOOKED      403 

rison  Street  Station,  and  later  taken  before  Justice  Un- 
derwood and  held  under  bonds  of  $i,6oo  to  the  criminal 
court. 

The  girls  were  sent  back  to  their  parents  at  South  Bend, 
and  when  the  case  came  before  the  grand  jury  both  re- 
fused to  return  to  Chicago  to  prosecute.  The  police  were 
informed  that  they  received  a  snug  little  sum  to  drop  the 
prosecution. 


NOT  SO  GREEN  AS  HE  LOOKED. 

CONFIDENCE    MEN    TAKE    DETECTIVE    FOR    A    FARMER    AND 
LAND  IN  THE   POLICE  STATION. 

A  novel  experience  fell  to  the  part  of  Detective  Wool- 
dridge  one  hot  night  in  August,  1893.  He  was  dressed 
in  plain  clothing  and  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
farmer  from  Posey  county,  Ind.,  but  he  was  not  so  green 
as  he  looked.  / 

While  he  was  passing  in  front  of  a  saloon  on  State 
street  a  confidence  man  stepped  up  and  said :  "  Can  you 
tell  me  which  line  of  cars  will  take  me  to  the  World's 
Fair  grounds  ?  " 

The  detective  saw  at  once  that  the  man  who  asked  the 
question  was  a  confidence  worker.  Biting  off  a  chew  of 
plug  tobacco,  Wooldridge  said  he  thought  the  State 
street  car  would  take  him  to  the  World's  Fair.  "  I  am 
a  stranger  in  town,"  said  the  detective,  "  and  I  am  kinder 
turned  around  myself  in  this  part  of  the  city." 

"  So  am  I,  stranger,"  said  the  man  who  attracted  his 
attention,  "  Come  in  and  have  a  drink."  The  two  went 
into  the  saloon  and  a  game  of  dice  was  soon  started. 
Another  man,  who  was  a  confederate  of  the  one  who  in- 


404        HANDS  UP,  IN   THE   WORLD  OF   CRIME 

vited  the  officer  into  the  saloon,  came  up  and  also  took 
a  hand  ip  the  game.  One  of  the  men  tried  to  rob  Wool- 
dridge,  and  the  officer  then  made  known  his  identity  and 
arrested  them.  Several  loungers  about  the  saloon  tried 
to  rescue  the  confidence  men  and  a  desperate  struggle 
began.  Wooldridge  had  his  coat  torn  off,  and  one  of  his 
fingers  badly  chewed  up.  He  clung  to  his  prisoners, 
however,  and  had  to  draw  his  revolver  out  to  keep  the 
crowd  of  toughs  back.  The  men  whom  he  arrested  gave 
their  names  as  George  Low  and  James  Cory.  They  were 
arraigned  in  court  the  next  morning  and  fined  $50  and 
$20  respectively.     Both  were  sent  to  Bridewell. 


ROBBED  OF  $5,000. 

TWO  WOMEN  HOLD  UP  AND  TAKE  A  CONSIDERABLE  FORTUNE 
FROM    A  BUFFALO    MAN. 

Two  women,  Lena  Blake,  white,  and  Josie  Rice,  col- 
ored, held  up  and  robbed  Albert  Hoyder,  of  Buffalo,  N. 
Y.,  of  $5,000  in  cash  on  January  23,  1893,  in  a  dive  on 
Clark  stre^et. 

Hoyder  was  returning  from  Galveston,  Texas,  where 
he  had  gone  to  receive  a  portion  of  a  fortune  left  him 
by  his  uncle,  who  had  just  died,  and  which  amounted  to 
$42,000  cash,  and  real  estate  which  brought  $600  every 
month.  Hoyder  was  forty-five  years  old  and  the  father 
of  several  children.  Having  disposed  of  all  the  legal 
formalities  in  Texas,  he  was  on  his  way  home,  and  upon 
arriving  in  Chicago,  had  in  a  buckskin  belt,  which  was 
fastened  around  his  waist  beneath  his  undershirt,  a  littl^ 
over  $5,000. 

He  strolled  down  Clark  street,  between  Harrison  and 


HE  USED  BOGUS  CHECKS         405 

Polk,  when  he  was  met  by  Josie  Rice  and  Lena  Blake. 
He  said  his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  colored 
woman's  antics,  which  were  like  those  of  a  young  Hot- 
tentot, and  a  new  element  was  introduced  into  his  merri- 
ment. 

Hoyder,  with  the  perfect  honesty  of  a  man  having  no 
knowledge  of  Clark  street  life,  allowed  his  curiosity  to 
lead  him.  upstairs  into  a  room,  where  he  was  drugged 
by  wine  furnished  by  these  women. 

When  he  awoke  his  buckskin  belt  had  been  cut  loose 
and  taken  by  these  two  women  thieves,  who  had  hed. 
Soon  after  both  women  were  arrested  and  locked  up  at 
the  Harrison  Street  Station.  Lena  Blake  secured  bond, 
which  was  furnished  by  one  of  the  professional  bailers 
that  hang  around  the  court,  and  she  then  skipped  out. 
Josie  Rice  made  a  full  confession  of  her  guilt,  and  said 
that  when  it  came  to  dividing  the  spoils  the  white  woman 
only  gave  her  $137,  while  she  kept  the  balance. 

Six  months  later  Detective  Wooldridge  found  Lena 
Blake,  who  had  returned  to  Chicago,  and  arrested  her 
on  an  indictment  charging  her  with  robbery. 

She  was  placed  on  trial  before  Judge  Baker,  and 
through  perjured  testimony  presented,  she  was  dis- 
charged. She  had  spent  all  the  money,  except  what  she 
gave  her  mother  to  start  a  restaurant.  Some  two  years 
after  this  she  died  in  Chicago. 


^  HE  USED  BOGUS  CHECKS. 

CHEAP  SWINDLING  SCHEMES  OF  LAWBREAKERS  FREQUENT- 
LY SURPRISE  THE  POLICE. 

In  their  pursuit  of  lawbreakers  the  police  frequently 
meet  with  some  great  surprises,  not  at  the  amount  of 
lawlessness,  but   at  the   stupidity  of  the   victims  of  the 


406       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

criminals.  In  fact,  it  is  surprising  to  them  sometimes 
that  there  is  not  more  lawlessness,  seeing  that  so  many 
people  are  so  easily  victimized,  and  by  the  simplest  and 
most  apparent  fraudulent  methods. 

In  1897  there  was  a  colored  man  in  Chicago  v/hose 
treal  name  was  E.  H.  Dillard,  but  who  for  the  further- 
fance  of  his  schemes  assumed  the  name  of  "  Dr."  Baxter. 
His  scheme  was  to  convince  people  that  he  had  fabulous 
wealth,  and  then  on  one  pretense  or  another  get  n.oney 
from  them.  He  dressed  well,  made  a  fine  appearance, 
and  was  a  good  talker,  yet  he  was  very  illiterate. 

He  secured  large  amounts  of  money  from  many  Chi- 
cago people  (mostly  colored)  by  passing  himself  as  a 
doctor  and  also  as  a  buyer  and  raiser  of  stock. 

He  roomed  and  boarded  in  the  most  fashionable  places 
and  cultivated  only  the  acquaintance  of  moneyed  men  for 
the  furtherance  of  his  own  interests. 

Being  illiterate,  he  had  to  employ  an  educated  man  to 
attend  to  his  affairs,  and  make  him  acquainted  with  the 
influential  men  in  the  neighborhood.         » 

It  was  about  September  i,  1897,  that  Dillard  arrived 
in  Chicago  from  the  west,  and  on  his  way  he  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  A.  B.  Williams,  a  porter  on  a  Pullman 
car.  He  told  this  man  that  he  had  large  interests  in 
stock  ranches  in  Montana,  and  had  some  6,000  head  of 
cattle  on  the  road  to  the  Union  Stock  Yards  in  Chicago. 

He  also  said  that  he  had  bought  20,000  more  which 
would  follow  the  first  shipment.  He  offered  Williams 
employment  as  his  secretary  at  $150  a  month  if  he  would 
leave  the  Pullman  Company's  employ  and  work  for  him. 
This  offer  was  accepted  by  Williams,  who  took  the  "  doc- 
tor "  to  his  boarding-house,  that  of  Mrs.  Ella  Clark, 
2442  Dearborn  street,  where  Dillard  also  secured  board. 


HE  USED  BOGUS  CHECKS         407 

Two  of  the  best  rooms  in  the  house  were  refurnished  for 
the  use  of  the  "  doctor  "  and  his  secretary. 

The  following  morning  Williams  was  taken  to  the 
stock  yards  and  shown  thousands  of  head  of  cattle  in 
the  pens,  which  the  '*  doctor  "  said  all  belonged  to  him. 
He  told  Williams  that  he  expected  two  checks  for  $1,500 
each,  payable  to  him,  and  a  draft  on  the  Merchants'  Ex- 
change Bank  of  Melbourne,  Australia,  for  $36,000,  pay- 
able on  demand,  and  endorsed  b)  William  Shakespeare 
&  Co.,  bankers,  of  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 

He  borrowed  from  Williams  and  Mrs.  Clark  all  their 
available  cash,  and  gave  Mrs.  Clark  a  check  for  his 
board,  which  was  presented  to  the  bank  for  collection, 
and  she  received  the  information  that  Dillard  had  no 
account  there.  Then  complaint  was  made  to  Detective 
Wooldridge  and  his  arrest  followed. 

Dillard  had  in  his  possession  ..when  taken  into  custody, 
several  bogus  drafts,  checks  and  bills  of  lading.  Several 
of  his  victims  appeared  to  prosecute,  and  on  Septem- 
ber 16,  1897,  he  was  held  to  the  criminal  court  by  Justice 
Hall  under  $3,500  bonds. 

Upon  arraignment  before  Judge  Gary,  October  6,  1897, 
he  feigned  insanity,  but  his  past  record  and  some  thirty 
witnesses  soon  convinced  the  court  that  the  man  was 
shamming,  and  he  sentenced  him  to  the  penitentiary  un- 
der the  indeterminate  act. 

Among  his  victims  was  The  Fair,  where  he  bought 
some  $300  worth  of  goods  on  a  bogus  check,  but  these 
goods  were  not  delivered.  Other  victims  who  appeared 
were  R.  Bacon,  208  Walnut  street,  who  cashed  a  worth- 
less check  for  $65 ;  Edward  Levy,  483  Francisco  street, 
who  cashed  a  check  for  $95 ;  Albert  Lanyer,  491  Fran- 
cisco street,  and  George  S.  Andison,  730  Austin  avenue, 


408       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

who  loaned  Dillard  money  and  acted  as  his  secretary 
for  two  months  under  promise  of  future  pay,  believing 
his  employer  to  be  a  wealthy  cattle  man. 


ALL  THIEVES  ARE  DESPERATE. 

ONE  GUILTY  OF  PETTY  LARCENY  RESISTS  ARREST  AS  FIERCE- 
LY AS  ONE  GUILTY  OF  BANK  ROBBERY. 

The  officer  often  meets  as  fierce  resistance  in  his  at- 
tempt to  arrest  a  man  who  is  guilty  of  petty  larceny 
as  he  does  in  his  attempt  to  capture  a  safe  blower  or  a 
murderer.  Detective  Wooldridge  had  a  conflict  of  this 
kind  on  a  bitter  cold  day  in  November,  1893,  when  he 
attempted  to  take  into  custody  a  man  who  had  stolen  a 
horse  blanket.  On  this  occasion  Charles  Day,  who  was 
the  proprietor  of  the  Wqjwick  Hotel,  had  just  returned 
from  a  drive,  and  the  horse  was  somewhat  hot  from  the 
exercise.  Mr.  Day  took  out  of  the  buggy  a  handsome 
robe  which  he  placed  on  the  horse  to  prevent  the  animal 
from  becoming  chilled. 

He  then  stepped  into  the  hotel,  and  had  hardly  closed 
the  door  behind  him  when  John  Donohue,  who  had  been 
watching  him  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  crossed 
over,  stripped  the  blanket  from  the  horse,  and  rolling  it 
up  started  on  a  run  to  the  alley,  south  of  Van  Buren 
street  and  "between  Clark  street  and  Pacific  avenue. 

The  detective  was  standing  on  the  comer  of  Clark  and 
Van  Buren  streets  waiting  for  a  car  and  witnessed  the 
entire  transaction,  but  the  thief  had  a  start  of  about 
three  hundred  feet  and  was  soon  joined  by  four  other 
Vnen,  who,  judging  from  their  actions,  were  his  com- 
panions. 


ALL  THIEVES  ARE  DESPERATE  409 

Wooldridge  jumped  on  a  passing  car  going  south  with 
the  intention  of  overhauHng  them,  recovering  the  blanket 
and  arresting  the  thief.  Donohue  was  just  coming  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  alley  adjoining  the  police  station 
on  Harrison  street  when  Wooldridge  overtook  him.  .  The 
detective  asked  the  fugitive  what  he  had  in  the  bundle. 
Donohue  replied,  "  None  of  your  business,  and  if  you 
touch  me  I'll  kill  you."  He  then  put  his  hand  into  his 
back  pocket  as  if  he  intended  to  draw  a  weapon.  Wool- 
dridge pulled  out  his  revolver  and  told  the  fellow  he  was 
a  police  officer,  and  at  once  placed  him  under  arrest.  The 
thief  was  a  powerful  man  and  did  not  propose  to  submit. 
He  seized  the  officer  and  tried  to  get  possession  of  his 
revolver,  but  instead  of  this  he  received  a  blow  on  the 
head  which  made  a  wound  three  inches  long.  Donohue 
then  dropped  the  blanket,  and  breaking  away  from  the 
officer,  ran  across  the  street  into  the  alley  on  the  opposite 
side.  Wooldridge  followed  and  commanded  him  to  halt. 
He  turned  and  answered  that  if  the  officer  attempted  to 
follow  him  any  further  he  would  kill  him.  Wooldridge 
fired  a  shot  in  the  air  which  brought  Donohue  to  a  stand- 
still again,  and  once  more  they  clinched  and  both  fell. 

The  trial  board,  which  is  a  body  appointed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  investigating  the  conduct  of  officers  who  are 
charged  with  violation  of  various  police  rules  and  regu- 
lations, happened  to  be  in  session  on  this  day.  Three 
inspectors  and  a  large  number  of  commanding  officers 
from  various  stations  were  present. 

There  were  more  than  seventy-five  officers  in  the  sta- 
tion when  the  shot  was  fired,  and  all  of  them  came  run- 
ning out  to  see  what  had  caused  it.  They  were  headed 
by  Captain  Hartnett,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  station 
at  this  time,  and  he  was  surprised  to  find  Wooldridge 


410       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  Donohue  in  a  deadly  struggle.  The  latter  was  try- 
ing to  get  possession  of  the  revolver  which  Wooldridge 
held,  and  it  was  perhaps  very  fortunate  that  assistance 
arrived  when  it  did,  as  it  probably  prevented  either  Wool- 
dridge or  Donohue  from  being  shot. 

Donohue  was  overpowered  and  finally  landed  in  the 
station.  When  he  was  taken  down  into  the  cell  rooms 
he  attempted  to  convince  the  officers  that  he  was  wounded 
in  order  that  he  might  be  sent  to  the  hospital,  which 
would  give  him  another  chance  to  escape.  Wooldridge 
knowing,  however,  that  the  man  was  not  shot,  strongly 
insisted  that  he  should  not  be  sent  to  the  hospital,  which 
was  agreed  to,  and  the  man  was  locked  up.  On  trial  the 
next  morning  he  pleaded  guilty  to  disorderly  conduct 
and  was  fined  $ioo  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Correction 
for  six  months.  The  four  men  who  were  with  him  made 
their  escape. 


OFFICER  IS  ROUGHLY  HANDLED. 

AFTER  BEING  TERRIBLY  BEATEN   IN  A   SALOON   HE  ARRESTS 
•  SIX  OF  HIS  ASSAILANTS. 

In  1896  Clark  street,  from  Polk  to  Twelfth  streets,  was 
about  as  tough  and  vicious  a  place  as  there  was  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

Almost  every  other  house  was  a  saloon,  dance  hall,  or 
house  of  prostitution.  These  saloons  never  closed  their 
doors,  and  women  of  all  ages,  of  every  nationality  and 
color,  and  of  every  stage  of  depravity,  were  to  be  found 
in  this  locality.  Around  the  doors  of  these  places  could 
be  seen  gaudily-bedecked  females,  half-clad  in  flashy 
finery,  many  with  loose  wrappers,  and  others  wearing 
short  scarlet  dresses  which  never  come  below  their  knees, 
with  many-colored  stockings  and  fancy  shoes. 


OFFICER  IS  kOUGHLY  HANDLED  411 

Many  of  them  wore  bodices  cut  so  low  that  they  did 
not  amount  to  much  more  than  a  belt.  There  they  would 
congregate  and  tell  filthy  stories  and  sing  vulgar  songs, 
making  all  kinds  ol  comments  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice  in 
the  hearing  of  all  passers,  right  under  the  gaze  of  all 
passengers  on  the  passing  street  cars.  This  was  the  re- 
sort and  hang-out  of  the  most  depraved  men  in  the  city ; 
the  home  of  all  alleged  highwaymen,  burglars,  thieves, 
sure-thing  gamblers,  and  any  kind  of  a  game,  "  con  "  or 
otherwise,  could  be  found  there. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  the  smallest  man  in  the 
station,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  good  things  come 
in  small  packages  sometimes. 

For  months  he  had  waged  incessant  war  upon  these 
characters,  scarcely  a  day  passing  that  he  did  not  single 
out  five  or  six  of  these  men  and  land  them  in  the  Har- 
rison Street  Station  for  vagrancy  and  other  misde- 
meanors, and  they  were  usually  heavily  fined.  He  re- 
ceived many  threatening  letters  by  means  of  which  they 
tried  to  scare  him,  but  not  the  slightest  attention  was 
paid  to  them,  and  the  good  work  went  on. 

Wooldridge  was  called  into  Qiarles  Kinnucan's  saloon 
at  435  Clark  street  on  account  of  a  fight  between  George 
Kinnucan,  a  nephew  of  the  proprietor  of  the  place,  and 
Dave  Sanch.  They  were  separated  three  times,  but  their 
blood  was  up.  Both  of  them  had  fully  made  up  their 
minds  for  the  occasion,  and  not  for  one  miunte  would 
they  allow  even  a  Chicago  police  officer  tp  interfere  with 
them. 

George  Kinnucan  fought  desperately  with  Wooldridge 
when  he  arrested  him,  but  he  was  landed  in  the  police 
station.  The  detective  had  a  hard  time  of  it  though, 
as  there  were  eighteen  or  twenty  tough  characters  present, 
among  them  being  four  ex-convicts,  and  many  grafters 


412        HANDS   UP,  IN   THE   WORLD  OF  CRIME 

and  thieves,  who  were  avowedly  friends  of  Kinnucan 
and  defied  the  officer  to  take  him. 

The  plucky  detective,  however,  nothing  daunted,  de- 
termined not  to  show  the  white  feather,  and  said  he  would 
take  his  prisoner  in  spite  of  them  all.  From  that  time 
the  fight  was  on,  and  they  clinched,  and  down  they  went 
with  Wooldridge  on  top.  His  "  billy  "  was  snatched  out 
of  his  pocket,  and  he  was  knocked  down  as  fast  as  he 
could  get  up,  and  this  was  done  three  times  in  succession. 

While  he  lay  unconscious  Kinnucan  was  pounding 
him,  and  all  in  the  room  joined  in  kicking  him.  His  head 
was  one  mass  of  bruises,  and  over  the  temple  and  on  his 
head  were  cuts  from  which  the  blood  flowed. 

Wooldridge  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  throw  his  left 
arm  over  his  face  when  they  all  jumped  on  to  him^  thus 
saving  himself  from  being  disfigured,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  succeeded  in  getting  his  right  arm  free,  and  with 
this  he  pulled  his  revolver,  and  while  Kinnucan  was  on 
the  top  of  him  and  the  others  kicking  him,  he  fired  and 
the  bullet  imbedded  itself  in  the  bar.  just  grazmg  the 
barkeeper's  hand. 

Kinnucan  then  caught  hold  of  the  barrel  of  the  revolver 
and  tried  to  wrench  it  out  of  Wooldridge's  hand,  and 
at  that  Wooldridge  fired  again.  The  bullet  passed  through 
Kinnucan's  hand,  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger, 
passed  all  along  the  bone  of  the  arm,  and  finally  came 
out  at  the  elbow.  Kinnucan  grabbed  a  heavy  oak  stick, 
but  before  he  could  use  it  he  received  a  blow  over  the 
forehead  which  cut  a  gash  three  inches  long,  which  had 
the  effect  of  laying  him  out.  This  blow  was  from  Wool- 
dridge's revbivei. 

Officer  Phil  Miller  came  to  the  rescue,  and  six  of  the 


TRIES  TO  ROB  THE  DETECTIVE  413 

men  were  arrested  and  locked  up,  and  they  were  after- 
wards fined  and  sent  to  the  Bridewell. 

For  the  next  six  years  not  one  of  the  Clark  street 
toughs  had  any  desire  to  have  a  personal  encounter  with 
Wooldridge  even  though  he  were  the  smallest  man  work- 
ing out  of  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station. 


TRIES  TO  ROB   THE   DETECTIVE. 

MARY    KEATING    HAS    A    ROUGH    ADVENTURE    WITH    DETEC- 
TIVE   WOOLDRIDGE. 

One  of  the  best  known  female  pickpockets  in  Chi- 
cago tried  to  rob  Detective  Wooldridge  once,  and  of 
course  got  the  worst  of  it.  The  detective  was  stand- 
ing in  front  of  the  First  National  Bank  at  the  corner 
of  Monroe  and  Dearborn  streets  when  she  attempted 
to  rob  him.  She  might  have  had  the  impression  that 
Wooldridge  was  the  president  of  this  big  financial  in- 
stitution, or  she  possibly  mistook  him  for  the  cashier. 

At  any  rate  she  mistook  him  for  an  easy  "mark" 
and  sailed  in  to  get  his  money.  The  woman  was  Mary 
Seating,  who,  with  her  sister  Nora,  were  well  known 
to  the  police.  Mary  had  been  arrested  many  times 
and  always  went  peaceably  with  the  officers  to  the 
police  station.  She  would  sometimes  try  to  escape  by 
running,  but  never  fought  her  captors  except  on  this 
one  occasion.  Her  sister  was  notorious  as  a  fighter, 
and  there  are  many  officers  on  the  force  who  bear 
scars  which  are  the  result  of  a  conflict  with  Nora 
Keating. 

It  was  on  April  24,  1892,  that  Mary  Keating  at- 
tempted to  rob  Detective  Wooldridge.     She,  with  an- 


414         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

other  woman,  was  standing  on  the  corner  of  Monroe 
and  Dearborn  streets,  discussing  the  propriety  of  rob- 
bing some  one,  when  Mary  saw  Wooldridge  not  far 
from  her.  The  detective  had  heard  a  part  of  their  con- 
versation and  determined  to  watch  them. 

The  Keating  woman  approached  him  and  asked 
where  State  street  was.  He  told  her  it  was  one  block 
east.  The  woman,  however,  did  not  manifest  any  in- 
tentions of  going  that  direction,  and  engaged  the  de- 
tective in  conversation.  Suddenly  she  threw  one  arm 
around  his  neck  and  at  the  same  time  thrust  her  hand 
into  his  vest  pocket.  The  officer  seized  her  by  the 
wrists  and  told  her  she  was  under  arrest.  She  was 
not  in  the  least  disconcerted,  and  to  all  appearances 
was  willing  to  submit  without  any  resistance.  She 
tried  to  persuade  Wooldridge  to  release  her,  but  he 
refused.  She  at  last  consented  to  walk  to  the  station, 
and  they  started  away  together. 

No  sooner  had  she  secured  the  use  of  one  arm  than 
she  struck  the  officer  a  heavy  blow  in  the  face.  He 
fell,  but  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  seize  her  dress 
and  held  to  her.  Then  the  woman  dealt  him  another 
blow  and  at  the  same  time  called  to  her  friend,  whose 
duty  apparently  had  been  to  keep  watch  for  a  police- 
man. 

"Come  on,"  she  said,  "we  can  both  fix  him." 

Wooldridge  managed  to  regain  his  feet,  still  holding 
to  his  prisoner.  In  an  instant  he  took  from  his  pocket 
a  pair  of  "come-alongs"  and  fastened  them  around  her 
wrists.  Twisting  them  tightly,  he  caused  such  pain 
that  she  was  a  willing  prisoner,  but  only  for  a  few 
minutes.     She  then  resorted  to  her  plan  of  bribery. 

First  she  oflFered  $50  if  the  officer  would  let  her  go, 


TRIED  TO  DODGE  THE  CAMERA  415 

then  $75,  and  at  last  $icx).  Seeing  that  this  did  not  pre- 
vail, she  promised  to  walk  peaceably  if  the  chains  were 
removed  from  her  wrists.  This  was  done,  and  for  a 
few  blocks  she  kept  her  promise.  When  the  corner 
of  Harrison  and  Clark  streets  was  reached  she  said  her 
dress  was  unfastened  and  asked  the  privilege  of  step- 
ping into  a  doorway  to  fix  it. 

She  was  bending  slightly  forward  and  Wooldridge 
was  directly  in  front  of  her.  Suddenly  the  woman's 
arm  shot  out,  and  the  detective  received  the  full  force 
of  the  blow  between  the  eyes.  Twice  she  struck  him 
and  started  to  run  up  Harrison  street. 

Wooldridge  was  after  her  immediately,  and  after 
another  brisk  fight  succeeded  in  overpowering  her. 
She  was  booked  for  attempted  robbery,  and  the  next 
morning  was  fined  $200.  She  appealed  the  case,  but 
the  decision  of  the  lower  court  was  affirmed.  The 
.  money  was  paid  and  the  woman  was  not  compelled  to 
go  to  jail. 

Mary  Keating  was  shot  by  her  lover,  John  Rooch, 
from  the  effects  of  which  she  died  at  the  county  hos- 
pital, April  24,  1895. 


TRIED    TO    DODGE    THE    CAMERA. 

The  police  wanted  to  take  the  picture  of  Frankie 
Smith,  whom  Detective  Wooldridge  had  arrested,  but, 
unlike  most  women,  she  gave  feminine  vanity  a  shock 
by  protesting  against  facing  the  camera.  When  Wool- 
dridge attempted  to  escort  her  to  the  gallery  at  the 
Harrison  Street  Station,  he  came  near  losing  as  much 
of  his  face  as  Frankie  could  take  in  one  bite.     Luckily 


416         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

he  escaped  with  only  a  few  scratches  from  Frankie's 
finger  nails,  which  appeared  to  be  as  sharp  as  tiger 
claws. 

Frankie  got  into  trouble  by  a  chance  acquaintance 
with  one  Turner,  whom  she  met  on  Wabash  avenue 
on  July  I,  1895.  The  acquaintance  had  been  of  only  a 
few  minutes'  duration,  Turner  says,  when  she  had  $35 
which  he  carried  in  his  pocket.  She  positively  denied 
having  the  money  or  taking  it  until  the  wagon  was 
called,  and  then  she  attempted  to  pass  it  over  to  Tur- 
ner. This  was  detected  by  Wooldridge,  who  seized 
the  money,  which  was  still  in  an  envelope  with  Tur- 
ner's name  written  upon  it,  and  had  been  received  a 
few  hours  previous  from  his  paymaster.  She  was  held 
to  the  grand  jury,  indicted,  arraigned  for  trial  in  the 
criminal  court  and  found  guilty  by  a  jury. 


SMOKED  ON  THE  STREET. 

WOMAN    ARRESTED   FOR  PUFFING  AT    A   CIGARETTE  ON   WA- 
BASH  AVENUE. 

While  strolling  along  Wabash  avenue  one  December 
day  in  1896  Detective  Wooldridge  met  another  stroll- 
er. It  was  a  woman  who  said  she  was  Jennie  Ward. 
She  was  not  very  different  from  other  women,  but  she 
attracted  more  attention  because  she  was  smoking  a 
cigarette. 

The  detective  would  perhaps  not  have  noticed  the 
woman  so  much  if  she  had  been  smoking  a  cigar,  but 
a  cigarette  was  the  limit.  He  arrested  Jennie  and  took 
her  to  the  station. 

When  she  was  arraigned  for  trial  the  court  said; 
"Who  is  this  prisoner?" 


SMOKED  ON  THE  STREET 


417 


"This  person  is  Jennie  Ward,  your  honor,"  answered 
Wooldridge. 

"Ahem !  Quite  a  young  girl,"  the  court  observed,  as 
he  inclined  the  judicial  head  and  critically  regarded 
the  prisoner. 

"Quite  young,"  Wooldridge  replied,  "but  a  'beaut,' 
though ;  just  see  how  she's  dressed.  You  can  hear 
her  clothes  in  Europe.  They're  actually  -  disorderly, 
for  a  fact.    It's  really  deafening,  the  noise  they  make." 

"There's  nothing  disorderly  in  those  accusations, 
and  the  clatter  of  her  raiment  does  not  substantiate 
your  allegation  that  Miss  Ward  was  not  peaceful  last 
evening,"  the  court  said,  with  a  frown  as  black  as  a 
Herodic  heart  and.  as  threatening  as  a  cold  tip  from 
the  weather  man's  map. 

"But,  your  honor,  I  saw  her  coming  down  Wabash 
avenue  Sunday  smoking  cigarettes  like  a  college  dude. 
She  spotted  me  and  doused  the  ghm,  but  I  pinched 
her." 

This  was  surely  enough  to  satisfy  the  court.  He 
fined  Jennie  $i,  remarking,  as  he  entered  up  the  assess- 
^ment,  "I  don't  know  what  the  equal  suffragists  will 
think,  but  as  the  thing  being  smoked  was  a  cigarette 
I  guess  they  won't  make  a  disturbance.  Now,  if  it  had 
been  a  pipe — but  then." 

The  court  did  not  muse  further,  and  Jennie  paid  the 
tax. 


418         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
AMBITIOUS   "PONY"  MOORE. 

NEGRO  WHO  CONDUCT^  A  SALOON  AND  GAMBLING   HOUSE 
WANTED   TO    SHINE    IN    SOCIETY. 

With  vaulting  ambition  and  the  exulting  vanity  of 
a  parvenu,  "Pony"  Aloore  started  out  once  to  startle 
the  world  b}'  becoming  a  shining  light  in  society.  This 
would  not  appear  strange  or  astonishing  were  it  not 
for  the  fact  that  "Pony"  Moore  is  a  colored  man  who 
then  conducted  a  saloon  and  gambling  house  at  171 
Twenty-first  street,  which  was  called  the  Turf  Ex- 
change, and  was  one  of  the  worst  dives  in  Chicago. 

Moore  was  known  as  a  "high-flyer,"  but  the  great 
and  insurmountable  obstacle  to  his  consuming  ambi- 
tion was  his  color.  "He  had  his  face  enameled;  he 
had  his  hair  made  straight,"  or,  rather,  he  had  it  all 
cut  off,  thus  avoiding  the  vain  task  of  trying  to  have 
it  made  straight,  but  notwithstanding  all  this  and  his 
desire  to  be  a  white  man,  "instead  of  a  coon,  coon, 
coon,"  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment. 

However,  he  came  as  near,  on  one  occasion,  reach- 
ing the  pinnacle  to  which  he  aspired  as  was  possible. 
After  undergoing  treatment  at  the  hands  of  special- 
ists and  the  use  of  many  chemicals  guaranteed  to 
change  the  color  of  the  skin,  he  concluded  that  by 
making  a  bold  dash  he  could  at  least  deceive  stran- 
gers. Then  he  arrayed  himself  in  the  most  expensive 
and  flashy  clothes  that  money  could  buy,  bedecked 
his  shirt  front  and  fingers  with  diamonds  that  looked 
like  sunbursts,  and  dropped  into  Newport  at  the  height 
of  the  season  and  cut  a  swell  that  made  the  four  hun- 
dred look  like  hoosiers. 

In  a  few  days  he  was  hobnobbing  vv^ith  ^millionaires 


AMBITIOUS  "  PONY  "  MOORE 


419' 


and  titled  foreigners  at  the  clubs  in  the  afternoons  and 
dancing  with  their  wives  and  daughters  at  night.  He 
was  feted  continually.  He  was  invited  to  dinners  and 
receptions  by  members  of  the  exclusive  set,  and  for  a 


"pony"    MOORE. 


time  his  cup  of  happiness  was  filled  to  overflowing, 

and  he  thought  his  sole  aim  in  life  had  been  attained. 

Some  one  who  knew  him  in  Chicago  dropped  into 

Newport  one  Sunday  and  "tipped  off"  his  game.    Then 


420         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

followed  the  greatest  consternation  that  was  ever  seen 
in  that  gay  resort.  The  swells  with  whom  Moore  had 
been  on  such  intimate  terms  packed  up  and  left  in  the 
night,  so  fearful  were  they  that  they  would  meet  him 
again.  In  twelve  hours  Newport  was  practically  de- 
populated. Some  went  to  Europe,  some  to  Hong 
Kong  and  Vladivostok,  and  others  went  to  Monte 
Carlo  and  Egypt.  They  vanished  like  ships  in  the 
night,  and  Mr.  Moore  arose  the  next  morning  to  find 
that  he  would  have  to  take  his  ocean  plunge  all  alone. 

This  dampened  his  ardor  somewhat,  but  he  braced 
his  drooping  spirits  by  planning  a  campaign  at  Atlan- 
tic City. 

The  news  of  the  sensation  at  Newport  had  not 
reached  the  other  fashionable  resorts,  and  he  invaded 
Atlantic  City  like  a  conquering  hero.  In  a  few  days 
he  was  in  the  whirl  of  society  again.  Then  the  gay 
revelers  heard  of  the  calamity  at  Newport,  and  once 
more  there  was  a  wild  scramble  to  get  off  the  earth. 

By  this  time  the  secret  had  gotten  out  and  spread 
along  the  shore  from  Maine  to  Florida,  which  put  an 
end  to  "Pony"  Moore's  summer  social  campaign,  and 
he  returned  to  his  Chicago  dive,  to  get  back  some  of 
the  coin  he  had  spent  in  society. 

In  1897,  just  after  the  election  of  Carter  Harrison 
as  mayor,  Moore's  ambition  took  another  turn.  He 
wanted  to  branch  out  as  a  professional  bailer.  In 
order  to  establish  himself  in  this  line  of  business  he 
had  a  large  number  of  placards  printed  bearing  the 
words : 

"  Tony  Moore,  the  official  bondsman  at  the  Twenty- 
eecond  Street  Police  Station." 

As  soon  as  the  police  heard  of  this,  Mr.  Moore  was 


AMBITIOUS  "  PONY  "  MOORE  421 

visited  and  told  that  he  would  be  given  so  many  hours 
to  gather  in  all  those  cards,  and  he  found  that  it  was 
an  easier  job  to  distribute  them  than  to  gather  them 
in,  but  they  soon  disappeared. 

His  place  at  Twenty-first  street  was  the  resort  of 
depraved  women,  both  white  and  black.  It  was  also 
frequented  by  Chinamen  and  Japanese. 

It  was  known  to  the  public  as  a  wide-open,  care- 
fully guarded  gambling  resort,  where  any  kind  of  a 
game  could  be  had.  It  had  the  reputation  of  being 
almost  impregnable,  being  protected  with  pickets,  who 
were  kept  on  duty  night  and  day.  Electric  wires  and 
other  devices  were  brought  into  requisition  to  help 
out. 

Again  and  again  the  police  had  swooped  down  on 
the  house  expecting  to  catch  the  inmates  gambling, 
but  the  players  had  feceived  the  tip  from  the  "look- 
out," and  when  the  police  got  inside  they  invariably 
found  the  inmates  complacently  smoking  cigars  or  en- 
gaged in  some  innocent  amusement. 

During  the  winter  of  1899  war  was  declared  upon 
poolrooms  and  handbooks  on  horse  racing.  Detective 
Wooldridge  was  in  charge,  of  gambling  and  had  a 
large  detail  of  picked  men  from  the  Central  Station 
to  assist  him. 

Moore,  surrounded  with  his  pickets  ready  to  give 
the  alarm  at  the  least  sign  of  apparent  danger,  defied 
Wooldridge  and  his  detectives  to  catch  him,  and  one 
effort  after  another  failed.  Finally,  one  day,  after  a 
number  of  complaints  had  been  received  respecting 
Moore's  place,  Wooldridge  went  to  Twenty-first  street 
and  looked  the  ground  over,  and  determined  on  using 
strategy  to  catch  this  important  chap. 


422         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Several  hours  before  the  races  opened  Wooldridge 
went  to  George  Raymond's  saloon,  just  south  of 
Twenty-first  street  on  Dearborn,  and  managed  to  se- 
crete himself,  and  there  he  waited  until  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

Raymond's  saloon  fronted  on  Dearborn  street,  and 
ran  back  to  the  alley  directly  in  the  rear  of  Moore's 
place,  with  but  three  feet  of  space  between  the  walls, 
and  through  this  place  Wooldridge  crawled  and  shoved 
a  board  eighteen  inches  wide  and  six  feet  long,  with 
which  to  hide  himself  from  the  vigilant  eyes  of 
Moore's  pickets,  who  were  keeping  a  sharp  lookout 
for  the  police. 

In  order  to  protect  himself  and  at  the  same  time  see 
the  guard,  Wooldridge  ran  the  board  out  about  twelve 
inches.  It  rested  against  the  wall  of  Moore's  saloon 
and  was  one  inch  above  the  ground.  Through  this 
space  under  the  board  the  detective  observed  the 
picket  as  he  pranced  and  danced  up  and  down  to  keep 
himself  warm  in  the  zero  weather. 

By  chance  two  boys  became  engaged  in  a  fight  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  the  picket's  atten- 
tion was  attracted  only  for  a  few  seconds,  but  those 
few  seconds  gave  Wooldridge  the  opportunity  he  was 
waiting  for,  and  he  arose  and  ran  forward  and  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  between  the  picket  and  the  door. 
The  consequence  was  the  bookmaker  was  caught  mak- 
ing bets  on  the  races  and  was  arrested. 

As  soon  as  "Pony"  Moore  heard  of  the  arrest  he 
discharged  the  picket  and  gave  him  a  good  thrashing 
in  the  bargain,  and  in  his  stead  placed  four  men  on 
guard,  one  in  the  front,  one  in  the  rear,  and  one  on 


AMBITIOUS  "  PONY  "  MOORE  425 

\ 
each  corner,  and  then  he  sent  for  the  pxayers  to  come 

back. 

Wooldridge  was  notified  that  "Pony"  Moore  had 
resumed  making  a  book  and  that  his  place  was  filled 
with  players.  He  then  went  to  Wabash  avenue  and 
Twenty-third  street,  where  he  secured  the  driver  of  a 
coal  wagon  with  a  good  team  of  horses,  and  employed 
him  to  drive  him  down  to  Moore's  saloon.  Wool- 
dridge stated  to  the  driver  of  the  wagon  that  he  was 
a  police  officer  and  that  he  wished  to  surprise  and 
capture  a  man  who  was  badly  wanted  by  the  police 
department  and  who  was  then  in  Moore's  saloon. 

Spreading  several  newspapers  on  the  bottom  of  the 
wagon,  to  keep  the  coal  dust  from  his  clothes,  Wool- 
dridge laid  down  to  prevent  being  seen  by  anyone. 

The  driver  was  instructed  to  drive  his  team  in  a 
trot  to  the  Turf  Exchange,  and  when  he  reached  the 
front  of  the  place  to  pull  in  to  the  curb  and  check  his 
team,  which  instructions  were  duly  carried  out,  and 
'  as  the  team  came  to  a  stop,  Wooldridge  arose  and 
jumped  over  the  side  of  the  wagon,  and  before  the 
picket  could  recover  from  his  surprise,  Wooldridge 
had  brushed  past  him  and  entered  the  saloon,  had  the 
bookmaker  under  arrest  and  the  evidence  secured. 

After  this  Moore  gave  up  making  books  on  the 
races,  but  opened  up  a  "crap"  game  for  the  benefit 
of  the  waiters  and  piano  players  who  get  through 
with  their  night's  work  around  the  restaurants  and 
saloons  from  three  to  four  o'clock  every  morning. 
This  gam.e  was  usuall}  in  full  blast  from  4  to  6  a.  m., 
and  was  well  patronized,  though  many  charges  v/ere 
made  that  "loaded"  dice  were  usec^  and  many  players 
swindled  out  of  their  hard-earned  money. 


424       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

The  game  was  played  on  an  improvised  layout  on 
the  end  of  the  bar.  There  were  pickets  stationed  at 
the  front  and  rear  doors,  and  one  also  on  the  street 
corner,  and  it  was  difficult  for  any  one  to  enter  with- 
out being  seen. 

On  July  12  Detective  Wooldridge  took  four  assist- 
ants and  went  to  the  corner  of  Twelfth  street  and 
Wabash  avenue,  where  he  waited  several  hours  for  the 
game  to  open.  Finally  information  was  received  from 
one  of  the  players  who  had  been  swindled  that  it  was 
time  to  start,  as  the  game  was  in  progress. 

Wooldridge  then  secured  a  closed  carriage,  and  with 
the  curtains  drawn  the  five  detectives  were  driven 
down  through  the  alley  to  Moore's  place.  The  pickets, 
who  were  pacing  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  door, 
.were  taken  by  surprise  when  the  carriage  drew  up 
suddenly  in  front  of  the  door,  and  the  five  detectives 
sprang  out.  One  of  them  covered  the  pickets  with  a 
drawn  gun,  while  the  others  bounded  into  the  house 
before  an  alarm  could  be  given,  secured  evidence  that 
gaming  was  going  on,  and  arrested  the  keeper  and 
two  wagon  loads  of  players,  who  were  taken  to  l;he 
station  and  locked  up.    This  broke  up  the  crap  game. 

For  several  months  Moore  made  no  trouble  for  the 
police,  but  he  finally  started  another  game  and  got 
surprised  again  by  Wooldridge.  At  about  4:30  o'clock 
on  a  dark,  rainy  morning,  the  detective  put  on  a  wig 
and  false  whiskers  and  started  for  Moore's  place  ac- 
companied by  his  assistants. 

They  went  through  the  side  streets  and  dark  alleys. 
Arriving  at  the  saloon,  he  had  no  difficulty,  in  his 
disguise,  in  getting  inside.  When  the  pickets  saw  the 
other  officers  they  gave  the  alarm,  and  the  keeper  of 


AMBITIOUS  "  PONY  "  MOORE  425 

the^ame  seized  the  money  and  dice  and  started  to  get 
away  with  them.  Wooldridge  quickly  snatched  off 
his  wig  and  false  whiskers,  and  shoving  a  big  re- 
volver into  the  man's  face,  informed  him  to  leave  that 
money  and  dice  where  it  was. 

The  detective  then  took  charge  of  everything  on 
the  gambling  table  and  arrested  the  crowd.  Some  of 
them  tried  to  escape  by  the  doors,  but  there  was  an 
officer  at  each  exit  waiting  for  them.  That  was  one  of 
the  most  thoroughly  surprised  sets  of  "crap  shooters" 
that  were  ever  caught  in  a  game. 

On  May  24,  1900,  Detectives  Conick  and  Culhane 
visited  Moore's  place  and  found  125  pieces  of  cut 
glassware,  the  value  of  which  was  $2,500.  The  raid 
was  the  result  of  complaints  made  by  a  number  of  the 
large  uptown  stores  that  shoplifters  had  been  sys- 
tematically robbing  them.  Moore  was  arrested,  and 
on  the  same  day  the  officers  and  witnesses  went  be- 
fore the  grand  jury.  As  a  result  "Pony"  Moore,  Her- 
man Boppart,  alias  "Kid"  Kelly,  and  Bessie  Mitchell 
were  indicted. 

Herman  Boppart  was  located  in  New  York  the  lat- 
ter part  of  May,  1900,  and  brought  back"  by  Detective 
Conick.  Boppart  was  the  chief  operator  in  the  gang 
of  shoplifters.  Bessie  Mitchell  was  in  Paris  enjoying 
the  exposition  at  the  time  of  Boppart's  arrest. 

The  glassware  recovered  consisted  of  various  pieces, 
including  valuable  vases  and  a  punch-bowl  so  large 
that  it  seemed  incredible  to  the  police  that  it  could  be 
taken  out  of  a  store  unnoticed. 

Marshall  Field  &  Co.,  Burley  &  Co.,  Pitkin  & 
Brooks,  Mandel  Bros.,  Schlesinger  &  Mayer,  W.  S. 
Thurber  and  J.  D.  O'Brien's  art  store  were  the  victims 


426       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

of  the  shoplifters.  Among  the  property  recovered 
were  four  valuable  picture  frames,  two  of  them  the 
property  of  Burley  &  Co.,  valued  at  $500  each. 

Mrs.  Jessie  Pretty  went  into  Moore's  saloon  be- 
tween two  and  three  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  April 
9,  1901.  Moore  invited  her  into  a  wine  room,  where 
she,  Moore  and  James  Pollett  were  served  with  drinks. 
While  the  drinks  were  being  prepared,  Mrs.  Pretty 
took  her  diamond  earrings,  brooch  and  finger  rings 
off,  placed'  them  in  her  handkerchief,  and  then  con- 
cealed them  about  her  person. 

Moore  wanted  to  take  them  for  safe  keeping,  but 
she  said  they  would  be  safe  with  her.  After  drinking 
the  woman  became  unconscious  and  was  taken  to  a 
room  over  the  saloon,  where  she  remained  in  an  un- 
conscious condition  until  eight  o'clock  the  next  even- 
ing. 

When  she  awoke  she  was  alone  and  her  jewels  were 
gone.  The  matter  was  reported  to  the  police,  and 
Officers  Lacy  and  Ptacek  arrested  Moore  and  Pollett, 
who  were  held  to  the  grand  jury  for  the  larceny  of  the 
jewels,  which  were  valued  at  $800.  Moore  was  in- 
dicted, but  Pollett  was  released,  as  the  police  did  not 
think  that  he  was  guilty.  The  case  is  still  pending 
trial. 


FAKE  INVESTMENT  COMPANIES. 

SCHEMES    FOR    GETTING    RICH    QUICK    ARE    EXPOSED,    AND 
MANAGERS   ARRESTED    AND    INDICTED. 

There  were  schemes  in  Chicago  in  1899  and  1900, 
which  for  getting  rich  quick  surpassed  anything  that 


FAKE  INVESTMENT  COMPANIES  427 

had  up  to  that  time  ever  come  to  the  notice  of  the 
poHce  or  postoffice  authorities.  It  is  true  these 
schemes  had  been  in  operation  for  several  years  be- 
fore, but  the  men  who  were  at  the  head  of  them  had 
not  been  exposed  before  the  complaint  was  made  to 
•he  police,  when  Detecitve  Wooldridge  and  a  detail 
of  assistants  were  sent  out  to  make  an  investigation. 
The  plan  of  these  concerns  was  an  alluring  one.  They 
were  usually  called  "Investment  Companies,"  and  sent 
circulars  to  all  parts  of  the  country  guaranteeing  to 
investors  from  7  to  12  per  cent  weekly  on  the  money 
they  would  risk. 

The  claim  was  made  that  the  investment  companies 
were  able  to  get  inside  information  on  races  and  could 
always,  by  betting  carefully,  make  large  winnings. 

Tabulated  statements  of  each  week's  winnings  were 
sent  to  each  customer,  which  showed  that  fabulous 
profits  were  made. 

The  strong  card  played  by  these  companies  was 
that  they  paid  each  customer  on  demand  his  dividends, 
but  this  only  increased  the  business  of  the  companies. 
If  a  man  who  had  invested  $100  called  for  his  divi- 
dends and  capital,  it  would  be  given  him  without  hesi- 
tation. In  some  cases  he  would  receive  from  $200  to 
$500  profits  on  his  investment.  What  was  the  effect 
of  this?  He  would  at  once  conclude  that  the  invest- 
ment was  a  good  one  and  would  re-invest  both  his 
capital  and  profits  and  perhaps  leave  it  there  to  be 
credited  *o  what  was  called  an  accumulation  account. 
Furthermore,  it  would  make  him  an  agent  for  the 
company,  and  he  would  induce  others  to  go  into  it, 
and  thus  for  every  thousand  dollars  paid  out  the  com- 
panies would  perhaps  get  back  $5,000. 


428       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

The  reader  will  perhaps  inquire  where  all  the  money 
paid  out  in  dividends  came  from,  if  it  was  not  won 
on  the  races.  It  is  well  enough  to  state  at  once  that  it 
"does  not  come  from  the  winnings,  because  a  very 
small  percentage  of  the  money  sent  for  investment 
is  ever  staked  on  the  result  of  a  race. 

It  comes  from  those  who  have  been  encouraged  by 
drawing  dividends  and  from  those  who  have  been 
induced  to  invest  by  the  stories  of  fabulous  gains  told 
by  dividend  drawers. 

Then  the  reader  will  ask  how  this  can  be  kept  up 
without  an  accounting  some  day.  It  is  not  kept  up. 
When  the  investment  company,  which  usually  consists 
of  two  or  three  persons,  realizes  that  the  end  is  coming 
and  that  a  final  statement  must  be  made,  those  two  or 
three  men  take  what  money  there  is  on  hand  and 
leave  with  it,  informing  the  customers  that  by  an  un- 
fortunate risk  they  have  lost  all  their  capital.  Some- 
times the  company  will  reap  an  immense  harvest  this 
way,  and  the  customer  as  a  rule  is  left  without  a  prop, 
because  he  knew  he  was  in  a  gambling  game  from  the 
start  and  often  will  not  complain. 

When  the  detectives  under  the  leadership  of  Wool- 
dridge  had  gotten  sufficient  evidence  to  obtain  war- 
rants, they  began  to  raid  these  concerns,  and  the  first 
one  visited  was  that  of  the  Co-operative  Trust  Com- 
pany, which  was  located  at  80  and  84  Adams  street, 
in  offices  that  were  luxuriously  furnished.  It  was 
claimed  that  C.  F.  Taylor,  David  D.  Duflf  and  J.  W. 
Blackridge  had  incorporated  this  company  on  October 
24,  1899. 

The  detectives  found  L.  M.  Morrison,  the  manager, 
in  charge  here  and  at  once  placed  him  under  arrest. 


FAKE  INVESTMENT  COMPANIES  429 

He  protested  and  vigorously  denied  that  there  was 
anything  illegitimate  about  his  business.  The  office 
presented  the  appearance  of  an  important  commercial 
counting  room,  and  three  stenographers  were  busily 
engaged  in  writing  letters  and  other  documents. 

The  detectives  took  charge  of  enough  advertising 
matter,  circulars,  pamphlets,  letter  files,  correspond- 
ence and  the  books  of  the  company  to  almost  fill  a 
patrol  wagon,  all  of  which  was  taken  to  the  Har- 
rison Street  Police  Station.  The  advertising  matter 
and  circulars  promised  prodigious  returns  to  invest- 
ors, which  promise  was  based  on  what  was  called  a 
sure  system  of  playing  the  races.  In  the  load  of 
matter  carried  away  from  the  office  were  more  than 
one  thousand  letters  which  were  ready  for  mailing. 
The  books  showed  that  the  company  had  customers 
all  over  the  United  States. 

The  next  place  visited  by  Wooldridge  and  his  assist- 
ants was  the  Turf  Investment  Company,  which  had 
offices  just  opposite  the  Co-operative  Company.  They 
found  E.  E.  Farley  in  charge  as  manager  and  at  once 
arrested  him.  His  literature  was  also  seized,  and  it 
showed  that  his  plans  were  almost  identical  with 
those  of  the  former  company. 

These  two  men  were  booked  at  the  Harrison  Street 
Station  charged  with  conducting  a  confidence  game 
^nd  getting  money  under  false  pretenses. 

The  Inter  Ocean  Commission  Company  was  the 
next  place  visited  by  the  officers.  This  concern  was 
located  in  room  308,  64  and  66  Wabash  avenue.  The 
circulars  of  the  Inter  Ocean  Company  bore  the  name 
of  Tames  F.  Mitchell  as  manager,  but  he  was  not  in 
when  the  detectives  were  there.    They  were  informed 


430       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

by  the  stenographer  that  JVFitchell  only  came  to  the 
office  occasionally.  Nearly  a  load  of  printed  matter 
was  also  taken  away  from  this  place.  His  scheme 
was  similar  to  the  others,  and  he  also  sold  plans 
for  winning  on  the  races.  From  6  to  15  per  cent 
weekly  profits  were  promised  investors.  A  great  mass 
of  correspondence  from  all  parts  of  the  country  was 
found  here. 

Following  this  the  officers  went  to  the  office  of  D. 
W.  Moody,  17  Rowland  Block,  182  and  184  Dearborn 
street.  It  was  said  that  Moody  was  acting  as  an  agent 
for  the  Security  Savings  Society,  which  failed  a  short 
time  before,  when  its  manager,  W.  R.  Bennett,  disap- 
peared. He  claimed  to  have  been  swindled  by  Ben- 
nett. It  was  alleged  that  Moody  received  money  ad- 
dressed to  the  defunct  society  and  was  in  charge  of  its 
business  for  some  time  after  Bennett  disappeared. 

The  warrants  which  the  officers  served  at  Moody's 
place  called  for  the  books  and  other  papers  belonging 
to  the  Security  Company.  While  the  detectives  were 
searching  for  this,  several  customers  appeared  for  the 
purpose  of  getting  a  return  of  the  money  they  had 
invested.  Among  them  were  two  very  poorly  clad 
women.  One  of  them  declared  she  had  invested  $200 
and  had  received  in  small  sums  dividends  amounting 
to  only  $50. 

Among  the  articles  taken  from  this  place  were 
several  boxes  of  books  and  papers  and  a  list  of  ad- 
dresses of  several  hundred  investors.  According  to 
the  books,  nearly  thirty  thousand  dollars  had  been 
received  from  these  customers. 

From  this  place  the  officers  went  to  the  office  of 
Frank    E.    Stone,    an    attorney,    and    manager    of    the 


FAKE  INVESTMENT  COMPANIES  431 

Investors'  Protective  Association,  in  the  Rialto  build- 
ing. Stone  was  not  present,  having  disappeared  when 
the  Security  Savings  Society  failed,  because  of  his 
connection  with  Bennett  in  that  concern.  The  papers 
found  in  Stone's  place  showed  that  he  advertised  in 
the  eastern  press  that  he  would  furnish  information 
concerning  the  reliability  of  such  a  concern  as  the 
Franklin  Syndicate  of  Brooklyn,  by  which  so  many 
people  were  swindled  and  which  was  conducted  on 
the  same  plan  as  the  Chicago  companies. 

All  the  property  belonging  to  Stone's  company  was 
taken  to  the  station  to  be  used  as  evidence.  The  de- 
tectives then  went  to  the  offices  of  the  Security  Sav- 
ings Society,  which  were  located  in  the  Security  build- 
ing. They  were  accompanied  by  D.  W.  Moody  and 
found  a  bundle  of  mail  there  which  had  not  been 
opened  and  which  seemed  to  contain  money  or 
checks.  These  were  taken  and  turned  over  to  the  post- 
office  authorities.  Before  the  detectives  left  the  place 
a  lawyer  appeared  on  the  scene  and  said  he  had  a  client 
in  Kansas  who  had  invested  $400  with  the  Security 
and  that  the  money  had  been  paid  to  Moody.  The 
latter  replied  he  paid  the  money  to  other  customers 
in  dividends. 

The  result  of  the  raids  was  that  the  principals  fled 
the  country  and  are  badly  wanted  by  the  United 
States  authorities,  and  the  cases  against  those  indicted 
are  still  pending. 


DETECTIVE  AS  A  RAGPICKER. 

ARRESTS  TWO  DESPERATE  CROOKS   WHO   HAD  HELD  UP  AND 
ROBBED    A    CONTRACTOR. 

There  was  never  an  officer  on  Chicago's  vast  police 
force  who  could  disguise  himself  so  completely  as  De- 


432       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tective  Wooldridge.  His  success  in  making  lightning 
changes  would  make  a  professional  actor  ashamed  of 
himself*  He  never  "made  up"  and  started  out  to  catch 
some  criminail  and  came  back  empty-handed.  He  was 
always  successful. 

One  of  the  cleverest  pieces  of  work  and  most  orig- 
inal "make-ups"  he  ever  figured  in  was  when,  in  May, 
1895,  he  took  the  role  of  a  ragpicker  for  the  purpose  of 
capturing  some  desperate  negro  highwaymen  who 
had  robbed  and  beaten  a  Chicago  contractor  named 
Anderson. 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  28,  1895,  Mr.  Anderson 
came  down  to  the  city,  met  some  friends,  and  at  night 
visited  the  theater.  After  the  theater  was  over  they 
went  to  a  cafe  and  had  some  refreshments,  and  he 
accompanied  his  friends  back  to  the  hotel  where  they 
were  stopping.  He  remained  longer  than  h6  had 
intended  and  missed  the  last  train  home. 

Mr.  Anderson  had  friends  who  conducted  a  hotel  at 
Twelfth  street  and  Wabash  avenue,  some  six  blocks 
distant,  and  concluded  he  would  go  there  and  remain 
until  morning,  as  it  was  then  one  o'clock. 

His  course  to  the  hotel  took  him  through  a  por- 
tion of  the  levee  district,  which  at  that  time  was 
infested  by  strong-arm  women,  footpads,  as  well  as 
thieves,  burglars,  robbers  and  other  tough  characters. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  cautioned  by  his  friends  not  to 
go  on  foot  alone  through  the  levee  district,  as  he 
might  get  held  up,  but  he  only  laughed  at  them.  He 
was  powerfully  built,  stood  six  feet  two  inches  tall, 
weighed  235  pounds,  was  as  strong  as  an  ox,  and  the 
very  picture  of  health. 

He  strolled  along  State  street,  from  Adams  to  Polk 


DETECTIVE  AS  A  RAGPICKER  433 

street,  in  the  central  portion  of  the  city,  meeting 
hundreds  of  people,  male  and  female,  going  and  com- 
ing, besides  a  police  officer  in  every  block,  and  when 
he  reached  a  point  opposite  the  Polk  stret  depot  the 
clock  struck  1 130  a.  m.,  and  in  three  blocks  more  he 
would  be  at  his  journey's  end. 

He  had  reached  519  State  street,  a  few  doors  north 
of  Harmon  court,  when  something  happened.  Back 
in  the  doorway  at  this  place  stood  six  colored  high- 
waymen, and  as  Mr.  Anderson  approached  them,  Ed 
Lane,  alias  Charles  Williams,  stepped  forth  in  front  of 
him  and  asked  what  time  it  was.  Mr.  Anderson  stopped 
and  was  just  in  the  act  of  taking  his  watch  from  his 
pocket  when,  without  a  moment's  warning,  the  rob- 
bers sprang  from  the  doorway,  attacking  him  from 
every  side.  He  fought  desperately  and  knocked  two 
of  the  footpads  down  and  had  another  by,  the  throat 
when  he  was  felled  to  the  ground  by  a  blow  from  a 
slung-shot  in  the  hands  of  another  of  the  robbers,  and 
before  he  could  rise  from  the  ground  all  six  of  the 
colored  highwaymen  were  on  top  of  him.  Three  of 
his  teeth  were  knocked  out,  and  he  was  choked, 
kicked  and  beaten  unmercifully.  His  gold  watch  and 
chain,  a  pocketbook  containing  $20,  a  knife  and  a 
comb  were  taken  from  him,  and  then  the  highwaymen 
fled.  Anderson  was  found  a  few  minutes  later  by  De- 
tective Wooldridge,  who  was  passing  that  way.  He 
was  conveyed  to  the  Harrison  Street  Police  Station, 
where  medical  aid  was  given  him. 

He  then  made  a  complaint  in  regard  to  being 
robbed  and  beaten,  and  gave  a  good  general  descrip- 
tion of  the  six  colored  men  who  had  participated  in 
the  hold-up. 


434       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Anderson  had  a  good  look  at  Ed  Lane,  alias  Will- 
iams, when  he  stopped  him  and  asked  him  the  time, 
and  also  while  he  was  relieving  him  of  his  valuables, 
and  said  that  Lane  was  the  man  who  knocked  his 
three  teeth  out,  and  held  him  by  the  throat  so  that  he 
could  not  make  an  outcry. 

He  gave  Detective  Wooldridge  a  complete  and 
minute  description  of  this  man  as  to  weight,  height, 
color  and  every  piece  of  wearing  apparel  on  him. 

The  victim  of  the  robbers  was  given  a  bed  in  the 
station  and  made  as  comfortable  as  the  circumstances 
would  permit,  and  Detective  Wooldridge  told  him  that 
every  effort  would  be  made  to  recover  his  property 
and  to  arrest  the  guilty  persons,  and  in  ten  minutes 
Wooldridge  had  formulated  a  plan  and  was  ready  to 
start  out  and  arrest  the  six  colored  highway  robbers. 

He  first  secured  a  pair  of  overalls  and  an  old  coat 
twice  as  large  as  he  generally  wore,  and  picking  up 
several  papers  he  wadded  them  into  a  lump  and 
shoved  them  down  his  back  between  his  shoulders, 
which  gave  him  the  appearance  of  being  a  deformed 
cripple. 

With  some  burnt  cork  he  blackened  his  hands  and 
face.  Over  his  head  was  pulled  an  old  wig,  which 
was  at  one  time  white.  A  faded  black  slouch  hat, 
tied  with  two  strings  under  his  chin,  completed  his 
make-up.  Then  a  gunny  sack  was  found,  into  which 
all  the  old  waste  paper  in  the  station  was  dumped, 
and  from  a  heavy  piece  of  telegraph  wire  a  hook  three 
feet  long  was  made,  with  which  to  rake  out  the  bones, 
paper  and  rags  from  the  garbage  boxes. 

While  passing  through  the  alley,  bounded  on  the 
east  by   State  street  and  on  the  west  by  Plymouth 


DETECTIVE  AS  A  RAGPICKER  435 

place,  between  Taylor  and  Polk  streets,  he  saw,  almost 
in  the  center  of  the  alley,  six  colored  men  quarreling 
over  the  division  of  some  money,  and  they  were 
almost  coming  to  blows  over  it. 

Upon  drawing  nearer,  Wooldridge  discovered 
perched  on  a  garbage  box  Ed  Lane,  alias  Williams, 
the  colored  robber  whom  Anderson  had  described  so 
minutely  as  the  person  who  had  robbed  and  brutally 
abused  him  a  short  while  before,  and  here  were  also 
five  other  colored  men  in  company  with  him. 

To  have  attempted  to  arrest  Ed  Lane,  alias  Will- 
iams, at  this  time  and  place,  single-handed  and  alone, 
surrounded  by  five  other  desperate  robbers,  possibly 
all  armed,  would  have  been  both  foolish  and  danger- 
ous. Wooldridge  concluded  that  he  would  secure  all 
the  information  he  could  and  get  a  good  look  at  the 
other  five  men  at  the  same  time,  so  that  he  could  re- 
member their  faces  and  arrest  them  afterwards.  He 
gathered  up  the  rags,  paper  and  bones  in  the  garbage 
boxes  in  the  alley,  pulling  them  out  with  his  hook 
from  the  scavenger  and  ash  boxes,  drawing  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  group  all  the  time. 

He  continued  doing  this  without  in  the  least  excit- 
ing their  suspicion  or  arousing  their  attention,  until 
he  picked  up  an  old  coat  belonging  to  one  of  the  high- 
waymen which  was  lying  on  the  ground,  and  he  was 
just  in  the  act  of  putting  it  into  his  gunny  bag  when 
the  owner  of  the  coat  commanded  him  to  drop  the 
same  or  he  would  cut  his  throat  from  ear  to  ear. 

Seizing  the  gunny  sack,  the  robber  secured  his  coat 
and  threw  the  sack  with  the  paper,  rags  and  bones, 
which    the    detective   had   been    collecting,    over   the 


436       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

fence  into  the  adjoining  yard,  and  then  ordered  him 
to  leave  the  alley  under  penalty  of  death. 

The  robbers  separated  in  a  few  minutes,  going  in 
different  direction.  Ed  Lane  and  Reed  went  north  to 
Polk  street,  thence  east  to  State  street,  then  south 
on  State  street,  followed  by  the  wily  detective  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street. 

When  Lane  and  Reed  had  reached  a  point  two- 
hundred  feet  north  of  Taylor  stret,  going  south,  De- 
tective Wooldridge  slipped  across  the  street,  came 
behind  them  and  seized  them  both  by  the  collars  of 
their  coats.  Ed  Lane  drew  a  knife,  but  before  he 
could  open  it  Wooldridge  kicked  it  out  of  his  hand. 

Henry  C.  Reed  assaulted  him  and  was  promptly 
knocked  down  with  the  detective's  billy.  Ed  Lane 
and  Detective  Wooldridge  then  clinched  and  fought 
desperately,  Lane  trying  to  make  "his  escape.  Then 
the  detective  kicked-Lane  on  the  shin  of  his  leg  (this 
is  the  most  tender  part  of  the  colored  man),  and  it 
proved  a  lucky  blow  for  the  detective.  Lane  there- 
upon loosened  his  hold,  and  grabbing  his  shin  with 
both  hands,  screamed  from  pain.  Before  he  could  re- 
cover from  the  shock  Wooldridge  had  his  ''come- 
alongs"  around  Lane's  wrists,  and  had  Reed  covered 
with  his  revolver.  Just  at  this  particular  juncture  in 
the  proceedings  he  was  reinforced  by  a  brother  officer. 
Both  men  were  then  marched  to  the  station. 

On  the  way  to  the  station  Ed  Lane,  with  his  left 
hand,  which  was  loose,  managed  to  work  a  pocket 
comb  out  of  his  pocket,  but  as  it  fell  to  the  street  it 
was  detected  by  Wooldridge,  who  made  him  pick  it  up. 
They  had  scarcely  gone  a  square  further  when  Lane 
again  succeeded  in  dropping  the  comb,  and    he    was 


DETECTIVE  AS  A  RAGPICKER  437 

again  compelled  to  pick  it  up  and  restore  it  to  his 
pocket. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  awakened,  and  Reed  and  Lane 
were  placed  in  line  Avith  a  number  of  other  colored 
men,  but  the  moment  the  contractor's  eyes  fell  on 
Lane  he  exclaimed :  "There  is  the  man ;  I  would 
know  him  among  a  million  men." 

Lane  was  then  searched,  and  when  he  removed  his 
coat  the  pocket  comb,  which  he  had  tried  so  hard  to 
get  rid  of,  stuck  out  of  his  vest  pocket  and  was  seen 
by  Mr.  Anderson,  who  exclaimed:  "There  is  my 
comb  sticking  out  of  that  man's  pocket,  and  you  will 
find  two  of  the  teeth  missing,  and  on  the  case  you  will 
find  my  initials,  J.  H.  A.  I  carried  that  comb  through 
the  late  civil  war,  and  it  was  in  my  pocket  the  night 
when  I  met  those  robbers." 

Ed  Lane,  alias  Williams,  was  held  to  the  grand 
jury,  indicted  and  arraigned  for  trial,  found  guilty  on 
June  25,  1895,  and  sentenced  to  three  years  in  the 
penitentiary  by  Judge  Charles  G.  Neely.  Anderson 
could  not  identify  Henry  C.  Reed,  and  he  was  turned 
loose. 

On  July  21,  1895,  Henry  C.  Reed  was  arrested  with 
two  other  colored  men  for  being  concerned  in  a 
burglary,  and  was  convicted  and  sentenced  for  an  in- 
definite term  in  the  penitentiary. 

Ed  Lane  served  his  term,  and  was  only  out  a  few 
weeks  when  he  hunted  up  his  old  friends  in  crime,  and 
to"-ether  with  two  other  colored  men  committed  a 
robbery  and  murder,  and  was  captured  and  sentenced 
for  life. 

The  murder  for  which  Lane  got  a  life  sentence  was 
committed    on    Saturday   night,   November    9,    1898. 


438         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Robert  Aletcalf  on  this  date,  after  drawing  his  money, 
left  the  machine  shop  on  the  west  side  where  he  was 
employed,  and  instead  of  going  home  drifted  down- 
town. Just  what  caused  him  to  go  downtown  will 
never  be  known.  Through  what  pathways  his  foot- 
steps wandered  that  night  will  also  never  be  made 
clear. 

From  the  time  he  parted  from  his  friends  at  the 
machine  shop  and  boarded  a  car  until  he  stood  in  a 
doorway  in  an  alley  running  from  Taylor  to  Polk 
streets,  just  west  of  State  street,  in  the  very  heart 
of  the  levee  district>  no  traces  of  Metcalf's  movements 
have  ever  been  discovered. 

Directly  above  this  doorway,  at  a  window,  was  a 
colored  woman  awaiting  her  husband,  who  ran  a  little 
shop  around  the  corner  on  Plymouth  place.  She  was 
awaiting  his  return  home. 

The  woman  at  the  window  carelessly  observed  the 
man  in  the  doorway  talking  to  a  woman,  but  such 
scenes  were  common  in  that  neighborhood,  and  this 
little  incident  attracted  but  small  attention.  But  just 
at  this  particular  moment  she  saw  three  colored  men 
come  out  of  a  doorway  across  the  alley,  and  running 
rapidly  towards  the  couple,  attack  Metcalf  fiercely. 
They  fell  upon  him,  wrestled  with  him  and  tore  at  his 
clothes.  One  pinioned  his  hands  behind  him ;  another 
one  seized  him  by  the  throat,  and  the  third  struck  at 
him  repeatedly. 

The  woman  who  was  with  him  fled  upon  the  first 
attack,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  alley  bumped  into  a 
passer-by.  "What  is  the  matter?"  he  demanded 
roughly.  "Three  men  are  slugging  a  man  down  in 
the  alley,"  she  replied,  pointing  in  that  direction. 


DETECTIVE  AS  A  RAGPICKER  439 

The  pedestrian,  who  evidently  knew  the  neighbor- 
hood, looked  down  the  alley  where  the  slugging  was 
going  on,  and  stepping  to  the  door  of  the  adjacent 
saloon,  called  a  friend  to  accompany  him.  The  two 
.hen  started  down  the  alley  on  a  run,  but  seeing  the 
three  assailants,  stopped  for  fear  of  a  bullet. 

A  slugging  or  robbery  was  not  a  matter  of  much 
moment  on  the  levee.  They  were  of  nightly  occur- 
rence, and  of  greater  or  less  gravity. 

It  was  almost  two  hours  later  that  the  police  heard 
of  this  case.  Down  in  that  particular  district  they 
do  not  like  the  police,  and  will  not  call  on  them  unless 
it  is  absolutely  necessary.  They  do  not  like  to  have 
a  man  in  uniform  nosing  around,  because  no  one 
know?  what  they  might  uncover.  So  although  a  num- 
ber knew  of  the  robbery,  the  police  were  not  informed 
until  12:15  o'clock,  and  the  three  murderers  had 
effected  what  is  known  in  police  parlance  as  a  "get- 
away." 

It  may  be  that  those  who  witnessed  the  assault  did 
not  know  the  victim  was  dead.  They  may  have  sup- 
posed that  he  was  merely  choked  and  robbed  like 
many  others  had  been,  and  that  like  them  he  would 
recover  in  time  to  make  his  way  to  the  police  station 
and  tell  it,  but  Robert  Metcalf  was  dead  and  lay  there 
in  the  dark  alley,  half  sunk  in  the  mud,  with  the  rain 
beating  down  on  his  bruised  head  and  face,  while  the 
murderers  hastened  to  conceal  themselves  and  the 
booty  they  had  stripped  from  his  body.' 

When  the  matter  was  reported,  the  patrol  wagon 
was  called  and  took  the  body  to  the  morgue.  Then 
the  police  drag-net  was  thrown  out  and  every  well- 
known  colored  thief  and  crook  was  arrested  and  p^ 


440         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

in  the  sweat  box.  It  was  found  that  Ed  Lane. 
"Moustache"  Howard,  alias  Charles  Williams,  and 
Joseph  Smith,  alias  "Snakes,"  had  been  seen  running 
away  from  the  scene  of  the  murder.  Howard  was 
arrested  the  following  morning,  and  in  his  room  was 
a  portion  of  the  booty  taken  from  Metcalf.  Several 
witnesses  came  forward  who  had  witnessed  the  strug- 
gle and  recognized  Howard,  Lane  and  Smith. 
■  All  three  were  indicted  by  the  grand  jury.  "Mous- 
ache"  Howard  was  tried  and  found  guilty  of  being 
an  accessory  to  the  murder  of  Robert  Metcalf,  and 
sentenced  to  be  hanged,  which  sentence  was  carried 
into  effect  July  17,  1899.  Joseph  Smith  made  his 
escape  and  is  still  at  large.  Ed  Lane  was  traced  to 
New  Orleans,  La.,  and  arrested  July  6,  1899.  He 
was  arraigned  and  pleaded  guilty  to  robbery  and  ac- 
cessory to  murder  April  3,  1900,  and  was  sentenced 
to  life  imprisonment  in  the  Joliet  penitentiary  by 
Judge  Stein. 


LEADS  IN  STRIKE  DUTY. 

DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE    COMMANDS    A    LARGE    FORCE   AND 
PRESERVES  PEACE  DURING  LABOR  TROUBLES. 

In  the  great  building  trades  strike  of  1900,  when 
60,000  laborers  were  out  of  work,  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  police  force  to 
prevent  the  numerous  assaults  that  were  taking  place 
on  workingmen. 

It  had  been  charged  that  the  police  were  favoring 
the  strikers,  and  this  was  brought  to  the  attention 
of  Chief  Kipley.     He  then  made  an  order  which   wa» 


LEADS  IN  STRIKE  DUTY  441 

a  surprise  and  the  sensation  of  the  day.  Calling  him 
into  his  private  office,  he  told  Detective  Wooldridge 
that  he  had  an  important  mission  for  him.  He  then 
and  there  made  him  the  chief  of  as  strong  a  body  of 
men,  not  in  numbers,  but  in  police  ability,  as  ever 
were  placed  under  the  direction  of  a  leader.  He  told 
Wooldridge  he  must  take  twenty-six  men  from  the 
force  of  Chief  of  Detectives  Colleran  and  that  he  was 
to  take  command  of  them  and  restore  order  among  the 
strikers.  His  specific  duty  was  to  take  these  men  and 
use  them  according  to  his  own  judgment  in  watching  the 
labor  situation. 

The  following  detectives  were  then  named,  who  re- 
ported to  Detective  Wooldridge  instead  of  to  Captain 
Colleran  as  before : 

J.  E.  Fitzgerald,  John  Hanley,  George  Cudmore, 
John  Galliker,  J.  J.  Garrigan,  Simon  Kelly,  Thomas 
Meskell,  J.  J.  Mason,  M.  F.  Wagner,  C.  W.  Mc- 
Carthy, A.  J.  Rohan,  W.  J.  Russel,  Frank  Stephens,  J. 
E.  Quinn,  J.  J.  Tierney,  W.  C.  Spain,  J.  O'Hara, 
James  Gonick,  John  E.  Culhane,  Joseph  Durbach,  M. 
J.  Broderick,  John  Anderson,  J.  E.  McGinn,  William 
Taylor,  T.  DeRoche  and  M.  J.  Farrelly. 

Chief  of  Police  Kipley  addressed  the  staff  of  de- 
tectives as  they  gathered  at  Central  Station  head- 
quarters previous  to  assuming  strike  duty.  He  said 
in  part:  "You  must  see  that  no  further  assaults  occur. 
Detective  Wooldridge  is  in  charge  here,  and  when 
a  report  reaches  him  you  will  be  sent  out  to  investi- 
gate. Do  not  come  back  without  the  guilty  men.  You 
will  be  held  responsible  for  the  suppression  of  vio- 
lence." 


442         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Detective  Wooldridge's  appointment  as  head  of  the 
poHce  squad  on  the  special  work  of  investigating  the 
labor  war  assaults  was  a  unique  move  and  attracted 
much  attention  in  police  circles  and  among  the  poli- 
ticians. The  assumption  was  that  he  was  picked  out 
for  this  special  work  an  account  of  his  recognized  ex- 
ecutive ability  and  his  thorough  fearlessness  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties.  He  reported  direct  to  Chief 
Kipley  in  this  instance,  and  was  in  no  way  associated 
or  accountable  to  the  head  of  the  city  detective  de- 
partment. 

His  instructions  from  the  Chief  of  Police  were  to 
utilize  the  officers  working  under  him  "to  stop  all 
lawlessness  in  picket  work."'  Wooldridge's  methods 
to  secure  the  desired  end  were  to  institute  a  campaign 
for  the  arrest  and  prosecution  of  all  persons  who  per- 
petrated assaults  on  workingmen. 

In  order  that  it  may  be  known  how  important  and 
onerous  his  work  was  a  few  facts  concerning  the 
strike   are   necessary. 

The  building  trades  strike  started  February  5,  1900, 
and  a  settlement  or  agreement  was  signed  by  the 
bricklayers  June  2^,  making  the  length  of  the  strike 
twenty  weeks.  The  total  number  of  workmen  affected 
were  as  follows :  In  the  building  trades  proper,  30,- 
000 ;  in  stone  yards  and  quarries,  10,000 ;  in  brick 
yards,  7,000;  in  building  supply  mills,  3,000,  and  in 
other  lines,  10,000,  making  a  grand  total  of  60,000, 
There  were  2,500  contractors  involved  in  the  struggle, 
and  the  loss  in  wages  per  day  was  estimated  at  $187,- 
000,  making  a  total  loss  in  wages  to  the  men  of  $2,- 
244,000.    The  value  in  building  contracts  which  were 


LEAl^S  IN  STRIKE  DUTY  443 

delayed  on  account  of  the  troubles  was  estimated  at 
$50,000,000. 

During  the  strike  the  building  industry  of  Chicago 
suffered  almost  complete  paralysis.  What  little  work 
was  carried  on  was  prosecuted  under  many  difficulties, 
and  was  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  small  con- 
tractors who  had  work  to  do  in  the  outlying  dis- 
tricts of  the  city  where  they  were  comparatively  free 
from  molestation. 

A  few  important  contracts,  however,  were  pushed 
along  in  the  business  districts  of  the  city  at  a  tre- 
mendous cost  to  the  contractors  and  at  the  risk  of  per- 
sonal violence  to  the  non-union  workmen  employed, 
and  it  was  for  this  work  that  the  detectives  with 
Wooldridge  at  their  head  were  brought  into  requi- 
sition. 

Rioting  was  one  of  the  specific  features  of  the  strike, 
and  assaults  on  non-union  workmen  and  contractors 
were  numerous.  Five  murders  or  killings  were  traced 
directly  to  the  labor  troubles,  while  the  cases  of  as- 
saults were  more  than  150.  A  number  of  non-union 
workmen  were  crippled  for  life  as  a  result  of  their 
encounters  with  strikers. 

By  his  shrewd  directions  and  clever  handling  of  his 
forces,  Wooldridge  soon  put  a  stop  to  the  many  as- 
saults that  were  being  made  on  the  workmen  who  re- 
fused to  join  the  strikers.  He  protected  the  former  in 
every  way  he  could,  and  was  diligent  in  the  pursuit 
and  capture  of  their  assailants.  He  became  a  terror 
to  those  who  tried  to  interfere  with  laborers  who  were 
at  work,  and  did  a  great  deal  towards  enabling  con- 
tractors to  complete  the  work  they  had  in  hand  and 
keep  those  who  wanted  to  work  from  being  assaulted 


444         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

by  the  strikers,  and  in  this  way  accomplished  much 
toward  bringing  the  strike  to  an  end. 

It  was  a  memorable  struggle  and  will  go  down  in 
history  as  one  of  the  most  prolonged  and  costly  con- 
flicts ever  indulged  in  between  capital  and  labor.  It 
cost  many  poor  men  the  savings  of  a  lifetime  and 
almost  bankrupted  some  wealthy  contractors.  It 
drove  thousands  of  workingmen  from  Chicago,  and 
»vas  also  the  cause  of  many  factories  going  to  points 
where  their  employees  would  be  away  from  the  control 
of  a  spirit  in  the  unions  which  was  said  to  be  encour- 
aged by  officeholders  for  political  purposes. 

Detective  Wooldridge  also  did  excellent  work  in  the 
great  railroad  strike  which  so  paralyzed  business  in- 
terests and  stopped  the  wheels  of  commerce  in  the 
year  1894.  The  strike  started  at  the  Pullman  Car 
Works,  Pullman,  111.,  owned  and  operated  by  the 
Pullman  Palace  Car  Company,  May  11,  and  reached 
Chicago  proper  June  2'],  and  continued  to  spread  until 
every  trunk  line  was  tied  up,  and  only  the  mail  and  a 
few  passenger  trains  were  operated. 

For  want  of  fuel  and  supplies  many  of  the  large  fac- 
tories and  packing  houses  were  also  closed.  Matters 
grew  worse  each  day  until  450,000  men  were  idle. 
A  lawless  mob  had  taken  charge  of  Chicago  and  the 
railroads,  and  many  incendiary  fires  were  started.  On 
July  I  five  regiments  of  the  state  militia  and  the 
Fifteenth  Regiment  of  the  United  States  troops  were 
called  into  service  and  the  police  force  was  also  con- 
siderably increased.  In  addition  to  this,  hundreds  of 
United  States  marshals  were  sworn  in  and  placed  on 
duty,  with  instructions  to  guard  life  and  property. 

July  6,  1894,  some  two  or  three  thousand  men,  wo- 


LEADS  IN  STRIKE  DUTY  445 

men  and  boj'-s,  among  them  being  many  criminals  and 
vagrants  of  the  lowest  tjpe,  together  with  the  usual 
riff-raff  and  a  few  strikers,  set  fire  to  cars  and  de- 
stroyed much  property  in  the  railroad  yards  on  the 
south  side.  A  riot  call  was  sent  in  at  Thirty-ninth 
street,  on  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  and 
the  Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  railroads,  to  the  effect 
that  a  car  had  been  set  on  fire  and  overturned, 
switches  broken  and  spiked,  switch  tower  overturned 
and  much  property  dest  yed.  Detective  Wooldridge 
and  five  other  officers  reached  the  scene  in  advance  of 
other  forces  by  some  thirty  minutes,  and  in  a  few  brief, 
stirring  words  he  told  the  assembled  crowds  that  the 
depredations  and  lawless  acts  must  cease  at  once, 
and  he  therefore  commanded  them  to  disperse.  He 
was  hooted  at  and  called  names,  and  some  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  men  immediately  ran  forward  to  turn 
over  a  freight  car  which  had  been  run  out  on  the  main 
track  from  a  siding.  Wooldridge  stepped  forward  with 
two  drawn  revolvers  and  informed  them  that  the  first 
man  who  put  a  hand  on  the  car  would  be  shot  dead. 
This  had  the  desired  effect  of  stopping  them,  and  they 
were  thus  held  in  check  until  assistance  arrived,  when 
the  crowd  was  dispersed. 

Wooldridge  was  next  sent  to  the  switch  tower  on 
the  Illinois  Central  railroad  at  Fourteenth  street  and 
Indiana  avenue,  from  which  all  the  signals  and 
switches  in  the  passenger  yards  and  depot  of  the  Ill- 
inois Central  are  operated.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
important  points  to  be  guarded,  and  here  Detective 
Wooldridge  stayed  until  the  great  strike  was  termip- 
ated. 


446         HANDS  UP.  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
WAS  NOT  A  MARINE. 

MAN   ARRESTED   FOR   ROBBERY   TURNS    OUT   TO   BE  AN    OLE 
OFFENDER   AND  GOES  TO    PRISON. 

Among  the  many  criminals  who  have  been  brought 
to  justice  by  Detective  Wooldridge  there  is  one  who 
tried  to  take  shelter  under  the  broad  canvas  of  the 
United  States  navy.  The  name  of  this  man  is  Charles 
Barhytt.  He  was  arrested  with  Joseph  Neponuck, 
who  had  been  driving  a  delivery  wagon  for  J.  Golden- 
berg's  large  furniture  house  in  Chicago,  and  had  con- 
spired with  Neponuck  to  rob  the  house.  Through 
carelessness  or  dishonesty  Neponuck  had  lost  many 
small  articles  which  should  have  been  delivered  to 
customers. 

Neponuck  charged  the  shipping  clerk  with  neglect 
in  putting  up  the  orders,  and  the  shipping  clerk  for  his 
part  contended  that  the  goods  in  question  had  been 
properly  delivered  to  Neponuck,  and  further  contended 
that  if  the  said  goods  were  not  delivered  to  their 
proper  destination  it  was  Neponuck's  fault  and  not  his. 

The  complaint,  together  with  the  general  dullness 
in  trade  and  business  at  that  time,  was  the  cause  of 
Joseph  Neponuck's  discharge.  Detective  Wooldridge 
was  at  this  time  working  from  the  office  of  Joseph 
Kipley,  the  general  superintendent  of  poHce. 

On  or  about  December  13,  1899,  Wooldridge  was 
sent  out  on  an  investigation  concerning  the  where- 
abouts of  a  man  who  was  wanted  by  the  New  York 
city  police.  He  dropped  into  Jennie  Love's  place  at 
561  Clark  street  while  in  pursuit  of  this  information. 

When  Detective  Wooldridge  called  she  told  him 
that  a  burglary  was  to  take  place  eitlier  that  very 


WAS  NOT  A  MARINE  447 

night  or  the  next  at  Goldenberg's  furniture  store,  at 
1837  ^nd  1839  State  street,  and  she  furthermore  stated 
that  an  ex-employee,  who  had  been  discharged  and 
who  was  anxious  to  get  revenge,  was  the  man  who 
would  do  the  job.  She  did  not  know  the  man's  name, 
but  gave  the  dectective  a  good  description  of  him. 

Detective  Wooldridge  proceeded  at  once  to  Mr. 
Goldenberg's  store  and  notified  him,  at  the  same  time 
describing  the  man  who  intended  to  commit  the 
burglary.  After  comparing  notes,  it  was  taken  as 
conclusive  that  the  man  in  question  was  none  other 
than  Joseph  Neponuck,  the  former  driver  of  one  of 
Mr.  Goldenberg's  wagons,  and  whom  he  had  occasion 
to  dismiss  from  his  service  for  the  reason  stated 
above. 

The  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  Police  Station  was  noti- 
fied, and  two  officers  were  stationed  in  the  store  from 
December  15  to  December  20,  when  it  was  supposed 
Neponuck  had  abandoned  the  job,  and  the  officers 
were  taken  away.  The  very  night  the  men  were  taken 
away  the  burglary  was  committed,  and  the  following 
morning  Mr.  Goldenberg  telephoned  to  Wooldridge 
and  asked  his  assistance,  which  was  granted. 

Boarding  a  car,  Detective  Wooldridge  was  soon 
hard  at  work  upon  the  case.  The  first  move  and  stop 
was  made  at  Jennie  Love's  place,  561  Clark  street. 
.Mrs.  Love  had  left  Chicago  the  evening  before,  but 
had  left  her  housekeeper,  Laura  Rusk,  in  charge,  and 
though  she  did  not  know  Detective  Wooldridge,  he 
lost  no  time  in  introducing  himself  and  told  her  he  had 
called  for  the  goods  which  had  been  left  there  by 
Joseph  Neponuck,  describing  the  man. 

She  led  the  way  to  a  closet  in  the  rear,  and  there 


448         HANDS  UP.  IN  THE  WORLD   llF  CRIME 

three  large  rugs  were  found.  She  info-liied  the  officers 
that  about  dayHght  that  morning  two  men  had  called 
there  and  left  the  rugs  and  they  were  going  to  bring 
some  curtains  and  carpets  that  night.  They  told  the 
housekeeper  that  Mrs.  Love  knew  all  about  it,  all  of 
which  was  true,  as  Detective  Wooldridge  had  told  her 
(Mrs.  Love)  to  take  in  any  goods  which  might  be 
brought  to  her  by  these  men;  but  when  she  left  she 
had  neglected  to  tell  the  housekeeper  anything  about 
the  matter. 

The  housekeeper  also  described  the  young  man  who 
was  with  Neponuck  and  who  carried  one  of  the  bun- 
dles.   He  wore  a  white  woolen  sweater. 

Visiting  the  store  of  Mr.  Goldenberg,  a  list  of  the 
stolen  goods  was  obtained  by  the  detective.  Neponuck 
was  located  at  ten  o'clock  the  same  night  at  1352 
Wabash  avenue,  where  he  lived  with  his  wife  and  one 
child.  He  was  placed  under  arrest,  and  a  search  for 
the  stolen  goods  was  made,  but  none  was  found. 
In  one  of  the  bureau  drawers  a  38-caliber  revolver  of 
the  Harrington  &  Richardson  make  was  found,  also 
a  combination  pocket  screw  driver  and  saw,  which 
is  used  for  sawing  nails.  Both  of  these  articles  were 
taken  in  charge. 

In  the  wash  room  was  found  a  tall,  smooth-faced 
young  man,  about  twenty-one  years  old,  who  gave 
his  name  as  Charles  Barhytt.  He  said  he  was  a  ma- 
rine in  the  United  States  navy,  and  presented  a  card 
to  the  officer,  upon  which  was  written,  "Charles  Bar- 
hytt, U.  S.  Navy,  Recruiting  Office,  Masonic  Temple, 
Chicago,  111." 

Mr.  Barhytt  stated  that  he  was  only  making  a 
friendly  call  on  Mr.  Neponuck.     Upon  being  fv^ber 


WAS  NOT  A  MARINE  449 

interrogated  he  refused  to  talk,  and  appeared  very 
nervous.  He  also  resembled  the  description  of  the 
second  man  w^ho  was  with  Neponuck  that  morning 
when  the  stolen  goods  were  carried  to  Jennie  Love's 
place. 

The  proprietor  of  the  boarding-house  was  sent  for, 
and  he  stated  that  Barhytt  was  known  as  Charles 
Thompson,  and  had  been  there  two  days ;  that  he  was 
a  friend  of  Neponuck's,  and  had  the  adjoining  room. 
Upon  further  investigation  a  white  woolen  sweater 
was  found  in  Barhytt's  room,  which  he  said  was  his. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  man  who  was  with 
Neponuck  the  morning  the  burglary  was  committed 
had  a  ,white  sweater.  All  the  foregoing  facts  being 
taken  into  consideration,  Barhytt  was  arrested,  and 
they  were  both  taken  to  Jennie  Love's  place,  where 
they  were  identified  by  Mrs.  Laura  Rusk  and  two 
other  women. 

Barhytt  still  maintained  that  he  was  a  member  of 
the  United  States  navy  and  innocent.  The  next 
morning  he  was  taken  to  the  Bureau  of  Identification, 
where  his  picture  was  located  in  the  rogues'  gallery. 
He  had  been  arrested  for  burglary  in  1895  by  Officer 
Buggie  and  sent  to  the  Pontiac  Reformatory,  and  had 
only  been  released  from  said  institution  a  few  weeks 
before. 

When  he  was  sent  to  the  institution  he  was  only  a 
boy,  and  during  the  time  he  had  been  there  he  had 
grown  six  inches,  and  he  thought  that  he  would  never 
be  identified  by  his  picture,  as  he  had  changed  so  much 
during  the  time  he  had  been  there. 

This  is  where  many  criminals  make  a  big  mistake. 
Under  the  Bertillon  system  of  measurement  it  is  well 


450         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

known  by  officials  that  there  are  not  two  men  in  a 
milhon  that  measure  the  same.  Once  the  police  get 
a  man's  picture  and  measurements,  it  is  utterly  im- 
possible for  that  man  to  pass  through  their  hands 
without  detection. 

Barhytt  finally  admitted  that  the  picture  was  his, 
and  told  Detective  Wooldridge  where  a  large  portion 
of  the  stolen  goods  was  hidden,  they  having  been 
buried  under  some  steps  in  the  rear  of  Goldenberg's 
pla^e  on  Wabash  avenue.  They  were  recovered  and 
returned  to  the  owner.  Barhytt  was  convicted  Febru- 
ary 20,  1900,  and  given  an  indefinite  sentence  in  the 
penitentiary  by  Judge  Jonas  Hutchinson.  Neponuck 
escaped  punishment  because  Barhytt  took  all  the  re- 
sponsibility on  himself  for  the  robberies,  even  saying 
he  planned  them  himself. 


VILLAIN  AT  LAST  CONVICTED. 

BRUTE    WHO    OUTRAGED    MANY    WOMEN    AND    COMMITTED 
OTHER  CRIMES  IS  SENT  TO  THE  PENITENTIARY. 

One  of  the  blackest-hearted  villains  that  ever  in- 
fested Chicago  or  any  other  city  is,  after  committing 
the  most  heinous  of  all  offenses  a  number  of  times, 
at  last  serving  an  indeterminate  sentence  in  the  Joliet 
penitentiary,  which  may  keep  him  there  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  The  crime  for  which  he  is  serving  time  is 
that  of  rape,  and  no  less  than  four  respectable  and 
virtuous  women  have  been  victims  of  this  demon  in 
human  flesh. 

His  name  is  Peter  Hammerling,  and  the  offense  for 
which  he  was  arrested  by  Detective  Wooldridge  on 


VILLAIN  AT  LAST  CONVICTED  451 

March  25,  1896,  for  brutality  and  inhumanity,  stands 
ahnost  without  a  parallel  in  criminal  annals.  Seven 
days  before,  Mrs.  Julia  Allen,  a  frail  and  sickly  little 
woman  weighing  only  ninety-five  pounds,  and  living 
on  Indiana  avenue  with  her  two  little  children,  was 
returning  to  her  humble  home  from  the  postoffice, 
where  she  had  gone  to  get  a  letter. 

Just  as  she  reached  the  corner  of  Eldridge  court 
and  Michigan  avenue,  Peter  Hammerling  sprang  out 
of  a  gate  beside  an  empty  lot  and  gave  the  delicate 
woman  a  blow  in  the  face,  from  which  she  fell  to  the 
sidewalk  unconscious.  The  villain  then  dragged  her 
through  the  gate  into  the  yard,  then  down  a  narrow 
stairway  into  a  basement  beneath  the  empty  h^use. 

When  she  returned  to  consciousness  this  dark- 
visaged  demon  was  bending  over  her.  She  attempted 
to  scream  for  help,  but  he  choked  her  into  insensibility 
again  and  then  criminally  assaulted  her — outraged 
her  person — took  her  money  which  amounted  only 
to  $3,  and  left  her  still  unconscious.  He  not  only  out- 
raged her,  but  abused  her  so  shamefully,  that  when 
she  regained  her  senses,  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
later,  she  was  barely  strong  enough  to  crawl  on  her 
knees  to  the  sidewalk.  Then  she  fainted  from  loss 
of  blood  and  the  cruel  beating  she  had  received.  As 
soon  as  she  gathered  sufficient  strength  she  called  for 
help  and  was  answered  by  several  young  women  from 
the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association,  which 
was  next  door  to  the  vacant  house.  She  was  carried 
by  them  to  their  quarters  and  the  police  notified,  who 
removed  her  to  her  home  and  summoned  medical  as- 
sistance. 

No  one  had  seen  the  assault  or  could  give  any  in- 


452         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

formation  of  the  aflfair,  except  Mrs.  Allen,  who  said 
her  assailant  looked  like  an  Italian,  whose  eyes  were 
deeply  sunken  in  his  head.  He  had  a  very  dark,  long 
moustache,  and  wore  a  cloth  cap  and  brown  faded 
overcoat. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  placed  on  the  case  with 
this  description  of  the  man  and  no  other  clew.  He 
interviewed  every  one  in  the  neighborhood,  and  finally 
came  to  the  party  who  jvas  having  the  empty  house 
cleaned  and  repaired.  He  informed  the  detective  that 
a  man  answering  that  description  and  representing 
himself  to  be  a  carpenter  had  been  around  the  house, 
and  two  days  before  had  hung  some  windows  for 
him.  He  also  said  he  expected  the  m?n  back  in  a  few 
days  to  fix  the  doors  in  the  building. 

Every  carpenter  shop  on  the  south  side  and  in  the 
Italian  settlement  was  searched  for  this  man,  but 
without  success.  The  newspapers  and  the  Young 
Woman's  Christian  Association  took  a  very  active 
part  in  trying  to  run  down  this  villain,  and  asked  the 
Chief  of  Police  to  make  a  special  effort. 

The  detective  waited  day  after  day  in  the  empty 
house  for  the  carpenter  to  show  up,  and  at  two  o'clock 
on  March  25,  seven  days  later,  he  returned.  He  was 
arrested  and  taken  directly  to  the  house  of  Mrs.  Allen. 
The  woman  was  sitting  on  the  side  of  her  bed  when 
Wooldridge  entered  with  the  man.  Her  face  was 
turned,  and  as  soon  as  she  saw  Hammerling,  cried 
out,  "That's  the  villain!"  then  fainted  and  fell  back 
on  the  bed. 

Hammerling  was  arraigned  before  Justice  Under- 
wood on  April  i,  1896,  and  held  to  the  criminal  court. 
He  was  indicted,  and  when  placed   on  trial  severai 


VILLAIN  AT  LAST  CONVICTED  453 

months  later  the  attorney  for  the  defense  got  the  com- 
plaining witness,  who  was  extremely  nervous,  so 
confused  that  the  case  was  weakened.  This  and  the 
fact  that  the  prisoner  had  established  an  alibi  causjed 
the  court  to  release  him. 

His  record  was  looked  up  by  Detective  Wooldridge, 
and  it  was  found  that  he  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary 
July  24,  1894,  upon  being  convicted  of  assault,  rape 
and  robbery,  and  was  released  July  24,' 1895.  At  the 
time  he  was  convicted  and  sent  to  Joliet,  four  other 
charges  and  indictments  were  hanging  over  him  for 
the  same  offense  against  four  different  women.  One 
of  them  was  a  young  lady  whom  he  assaulted  while 
she  was  returning  from  her  work  at  a  downtown 
store.  Another  was  a  married  woman  whom  he 
knocked  down  and  outraged  while  she  was  in  her  own 
doorway  with  her  children. 

Hammerling,  who  had  a  number  of  aliases,  was 
again  arrested  October  22,  1900.  This  time  there  were 
filed  against  him  three  charges  of  rape,  two  of  rob- 
bery and  two  of  assault.  In  his  trial  he  was  identified 
by  all  the  complaining  witnesses  and  was  found  guilty 
and  sentenced  under  the  indeterminate  act,  and  it  is 
not  likely  he  will  have  another  opportunty  to  commit 
any  more  offenses  against  the  law  and  society. 

One  very  remarkable  fact  was  developed  in  the 
trial.  It  was  shown  that  he  had  a  strong,  healthy 
wife  and  two  interesting  children,  and  was  spoken  of 
by  his  neighbors  as  a  good  provider  and  a  kind  hus- 
band, who  went  with  his  children  to  Sunday  school. 
Ev^n  the  pastor  of  the  church  he  attended  came  for- 
v/ard  and  spoke  a  good  word  for  him. 


454         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 
DETECTIVE  TURNS  THE  TABLES. 

NOTORIOUS  WOMAN   LAUGHS  TRIUMPHANTLY  AT  SUPPOSED 

ESCAPE,   THEN    BECOMES   A   PRISONER  AND   IS 

CONVICTED. 

Strangers  coming  to  Chicago  are  often  the  victims 
of  women  who  keep  houses  for  the  purpose  of  engag- 
ing in  all  kinds  of  vice  and  crime.  On  Jiily  25,  1895, 
W.  Hopkins,  a  traveling  man,  was  robbed  by  a  wo- 
man who  was  afterward  convicted  of  larceny  through 
the  efforts  of  Detective  Wooldridge  and  sentenced  to 
an  indeterminate  term  in  the  penitentiary. 

While  walking  along  State  street,  Mr.  Hopkins  was 
met  by  Lillian  Belmont  and  went  with  her  to  the 
house  ef  Mattie  Smith  at  470  State  street,  which  place 
was  known  to  the  police  as  a  very  tough  dive. 

While  this  stranger  was  in  the  house  Alattie  Smith 
entered  his  room  and  robbed  him  of  $125.  He  com- 
plained and  demanded  the  return  of  his  money,  but 
the  woman  tried  a  ruse  which  she  had  time  to  regret 
while  serving  in  prison  for  it. 

She  went  into  an  adjoining  room,  extracted  $25  from 
the  roll  of  bills,  returned  and  dropped  the  remainder 
on  the  floor,  then  picked  it  up,  and  handing  it  to  him 
tried  to  convince  him  that  it  had  fallen  out  of  his 
pocket.  She  insisted  that  no  robbers  were  ever  per- 
mitted in  her  house. 

She  then  called  the  Belmont  woman  out  of  the  room 
and  permitted  her  to  pass  out  a  back  way  into  the 
alley.  Mr.  Hopkins  also  went  out,  and  meeting  a  po- 
lice officer  stated  the  case  and  appealed  to  him  for 
assistance.  The  officer  went  with  him  to  see  Mattie 
Smith,  and  she  told  him  that  the  victim  had  been 


DETECTIVE  TURNS  THE  TABLES  455 

brought  there  by  a  strange  woman  who  robbed  him 
and  fled. 

One  hour  later  Detective  Wooldridge  arrested  both 
the  women,  and  they  were  confronted  by  Mr.  Hop- 
kins. Propositions  were  at  first  made  to  restore  a  part 
of  the  money,  but  when  the  Smith  woman  discovered 
that  her  victim  was  a  non-resident  of  Chicago  she  re- 
fused to  give  up  any  of  the  money,  her  plan  being  to 
wear  out  the  case  by  getting  it  continued  from  time 
to  time. 

When  the  case  was  called  for  preliminary  hearing 
she  asked  and  was  granted  ten  days'  postponement. 
Then  she  told  the  detective  that  she  would  get  a  cer- 
tificate from  her  physician  and  get  another  ten  days' 
continuance. 

Detective  Wooldridge,  in  his  long  experience  with 
criminals,  however,  was  too  well  informed  to  be  out- 
witted by  this  ruse,  succeeded  in  getting  State's  At- 
torney Kern  to  take  the  case  before  the  grand  jury, 
and  before  the  prisoner's  attorney  could  interfere,  he 
had  secured  an  indictment  against  both  the  women. 
Mattie  Smith  gave  a  bond  of  $500,  and  the  Belmont 
woman  had  to  go  to  jail. 

The  former  forfeited  her  bond  and  went  to  Pitts- 
burg, but  returned  later  to  have  her  furniture  and 
other  ill-gotten  gains  shipped  to  her  new  home.  De- 
tective Wooldridge  learned  of  this  by  following  a 
trunk  to  the  depot  and  ascertaining  its  destination. 

On  August  16,  Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schu- 
bert went  to  her  house  at  5  a.  m.  and  searched  the 
place,  but  Mattie  succeeded  in  making  her  escape  be- 
fore the  officers  got  into  her  room,  by  means  of  a 
ladder  to  the  roof  of  her  house,  and  thus  to  the  adjoin- 


456         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

ing  house.  She  was  again  seen  at  the  window  at  5 130 
p.  m.,  but  before  the  officers  effected  an  entrance  she 
made  her  escape  again  in  the  same  way.  Detective 
Wooldridge  secUided  himself  in  a'  closet  of  the  third 
story,  which  was  vacant,  and  awaited  her  return. 

He  carried  a  ball  of  cord  in  his  pocket,  and  he 
agreed  with  Officer  Schubert  that  if  he  did  not  return 
to  the  station  by  8  p.  m.,  which  would  be  after  dark, 
they  would  communicate  with  each  other  in  writing, 
and  the  message  was  to  be  attached  to  the  cord, 
which  was  hung  out  of  the  third-story  window  and 
reached  to  the  ground. 

Wooldridge's  message  was  as  follows: 

"  Mattie  Smith  has  not  returned,  but  is  expected  during  the 
night.  They  have  searched  the  house  three  times.  I  am  undis- 
covered. Will  remain  on  guard  till  morning.  Secure  and  send 
me  at  once,  one  candle,  one  box  of  matches,  and  the  best  bull's- 
eye  lantern  to  be  found,  and  attach  the  same  to  the  cord  which 
you  will  find  hanging  from  the  window,  the  other  end  of  which 
will  be  attached  to  my  arm.  Pull  lightly  on  cord  when  ready  to 
send  them  up. 

"(Signed)    WOOLDRIDGE." 

At  9 130  Mattie  Smith  knocked  on  the  trap  door,  and 
Jack  Smith,  a  man  with  whom  she  consorted,  ran  a 
ladder  up  to  the  opening.  He  told  her  to  blacken  her 
face  and  hands  with  soot,  so  that  no  one  would  recog- 
nize her,  and  gave  her  other  instructions,  which  were 
overheard  by  the  detective,  relative  to  her  escape  and 
departure  for  Pittsburg. 

The  man  and  woman  laughed  heartily  as  they  talked 
of  the  way  in  which  they  had  given  Detective  Wool- 
dridge the  slip  in  the  early  morning  and  again  in  the 


DETECTIVE  TURNS  THE  TABLES  457 

afternoon.  The  woman  stood  on  the  bottom  rung  of 
the  ladder  and  as  the  light  from  a  candle  which  Jack 
held  above  his  head  flashed  in  her  face,  her  big  laugh- 
ing eyes  flashed  fire,  and  as  she  smiled  displayed  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  sets  of  teeth  ever  seen.  Then 
she  raised  her  arm,  and  in  a  triumphant  tone  dramat- 
ically exclaimed: 

"Jack,  when  I  have  given  old  Detective  Wooldridge 
the  slip,  and  have  arrived  safely  at  our  future  home  in 
Pittsburg  I  will  then  be  out  of  danger.  Then  my 
bondsman  may  have  the  pleasure  of  paying  that  $500 
and  charging  the  same  up  to  profit  and  loss.  My  at- 
torney can  take  a  trip  up  Salt  Creek  for  his  health, 
and  incidentally  for  his  fee  of  $25  which  I  owe  him. 
As  for  Lillian  Belmont,  who  is  now  in  jail,  indicted 
jointly  with  me  for  taking  that  man's  money,  well, 
she  will  have  to  go  to  the  penitentiary,  I  reckon.  It 
is  true  that  Lillian  did  not  get  the  money,  and  is  not 
guilty,  but  poor  dog  Tray  was  killed  for  being  in  bad 
company,  and  Myrtle  was  caught  in  the  'jam,'  also 
bad  company,  and  I  suppose  must  suffer.  Jack,  I  see 
no  reason  why  both  of  us  should  be  punished.  It 
would  be  a  mortal  shame  if  both  of  us  were  locked  up 
in  a  house  with  a  big  stone  wall  around  it." 

At  this  particiilar  juncture  in  the  strange  proceed- 
ings, Mattie  Smith's  foot  slipped  from  the  round  of 
the  ladder  and  she  fell  forward  into  Jack's  arms,  and 
the  candle  which  he  held  was  thus  extinguished,  leav- 
ing them  both  in  the  dark.  Detective  Wooldridge  then 
stepped  forth  from  his  hiding  place  and  flashed  a 
searchlight  from  his  dark  lantern,  which  made  the 
room  as  light  as  day,  and  as  the  flashing  light  fell 
upon  the  guilty  pair  they  were  speechless  with  sur- 


458         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WOkLD  OF  CRIME 

prise  and  terror.  Detective  Wooldridge  then  in- 
formed Mattie  Smith  that  he  held  a  capias  for  her 
arrest,  and  holding  a  revolver  to  Jack  Smith's  head, 
requested  him  to  hold  up  his  hands  while  he  removed 
Jack's  horse  pistol.  Then  the  procession  moved.  All 
requests  being  complied  with,  Mattie  Smith  was  es- 
corted to  the  street  below  and  conveyed  to  the  county 
jail  in  the  patrol  wagon  and  turned  over  to  the  sheriff. 

Mattie  Smith  failed  to  secure  bonds  and  offered  the 
Belmont  woman  a  sum  of  money  if  she  would  make 
a  confession.  She  also  promised  to  have  any  punish- 
ment inflicted  on  her  suspended. 

Detective  Wooldridge  heard  of  these  offers,  ascer- 
tained that  they  were  true,  and  then  laid  the  facts  be- 
fore the  State's  Attorney,  who  allowed  the  Belmont 
woman  to  sign  her  own  bond  for  her  appearance  in 
court. 

The  case  was  tried  September  19,  1895,  when  Mat- 
tie  Smith  was  found  guilty  of  larceny  and  sentenced 
to  an  indefinite  term  in  the  penitentiary  by  Judge  John 
Barton  Payne. 


JUSTICE  OVERTAKES  AN  UNGRATEFUL 

MAN. 

Emil  Schwart  was  taken,  fed,  given  shelter  and 
finally  put  to  work  by  Mr.  Pollett  of  478  State  street, 
and  the  first  time  he  stepped  out  Schwart  took  French 
leave  after  taking  $15  and  the  best  suit  of  clothes  Pol- 
lett had.  This  was  in  May,  1896,  Nothing  more  was 
seen  of  him  until  he  was  seen  on  Clark  street  six 
months  later,  and  Mr.  Pollett  made  complaint  at  the 


CLEVER  CAPTURE  OF  A  CLERK       459 

Harrison  Street  Station.  Detectives  Wooldridge  and 
Schubert  were  detailed  to  locate  and  arrest  him. 
Schwart  was  said  to  be  a  bad  man  with  a  razor.  He 
was  finally  located  in  one  of  the  tough  saloons  on^ 
Clark  street.  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  both  were 
afraid  of  razors,  and  it  was  decided  to  draw  cards 
as  to  who  should  grab  him  first.  It  fell  to  poor  Schu- 
bert, and  after  maneuvering  twenty  minutes  for  an 
opportunity  without  endangering  himself,  Wooldridge 
yelled,  "Look  out  for  the  big  spider  coming  down  the 
wall."  Schwart  turned  his  eyes  up  to  the  ceiling,  and 
Schubert  grabbed  him  by  the  neck,  in  what  is  known 
as  the  "strong-arm"  hold,  and  before  he  could  draw 
his  razor,  Wooldridge  had  the  come-alongs  around 
his  wrist,  and  he  was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street 
Station.  He  was  bound  over  to  the  grand  jury  in 
$500  bonds,  indicted  and  arraigned  for  trial.  July  8 
he  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  the  Joliet  penr- 
tentiary  for  an  indefinite  time  by  Judge  Windes. 


CLEVER  CAPTURE  OF  A  CLERK. 

MAN    WHO    HAD    ROBBED    HIS    EMPLOYER    RUN    DOWN    BY 
DETECTIVE    WOOLDRIDGE. 

By  a  very  clever  ruse  Detective  Wooldridge  located 
and  arrested  an  employee  of  a  large  cloak  manufac- 
turer who  had  been  systematically  robbed  for  many 
months. 

The  victim  of  the  thief  or  thieves  was  A.  Ellinger, 
whose  place  of  business  was  at  280  Madison  street. 
Everv  effort  was  put  forth  to  detect  and  bring  to  jus- 
tice the  guilty  parlies.     Mr.  Ellinger  secured  the  serv- 


460         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

ices  of  the  best  men  in  the  Boland  Detective  Agency, 
also  men  from  the  Pinkerton  Agency.  A  number  of 
the  cleverest  detectives  from  the  Central  Station  of 
the  Chicago  Police  Department  were  also  assigned  on 
the  case,  and  a  private  watchman  of  the  Veteran  Po- 
lice Force  was  secured,  whose  duties  were  to  visit  the 
store  and  inspect  the  locks,  doors  and  windows. 

The  uniformed  police  officer  who  patrolled  that  post 
was  ordered  to  double  his  vigilance  and  watch  for  the 
robbers.  Mr.  Ellinger  was  compelled  to  give  up  his 
comfortable  home  pleasures  and  sleep  in  the  store 
with  the  hope  of  catching  the  thief  or  thieves,  and  of 
putting  a  stop  to  the  plundering. 

On  Thanksgiving  night,  in  1892,  at  10:30  o'clock, 
Joseph  Russend  passed  down  Clark  street,  and  almost 
staggered  under  the  weight  of  a  large  bundle  wrapped 
in  heavy  paper.  This  man  and  his  bundle  aroused  the 
suspicion  of  Detective  Wooldridge,  and  he  concluded 
it  would  be  a  good  scheme  to  follow  and  keep  track 
of  him.  Russend  passed  down  along  the  busy  thor- 
oughfare on  Clark  street  from  Van  Buren  to  Taylor 
street,  and  then  he  came  back  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street  until  he  reached  357  Clark  street,  where  he 
disappeared  in  a  clothing  store  or  pawnshop  kept  by 
a  Mrs.  Mincer. 

He  passed  through  to  the  rear  of  the  store,  where 
he  was  hidden  by  the  great  stacks  of  clothing,  and 
there  he  deposited  his  precious  burden,  which  con- 
sisted of  plush,  velvet  and  sealskin  cloaks  valued  at 
$750. 

Detective  Wooldridge  gained  admission  by  the 
front  door  undetected  by  the  pawnbroker,  whose  at- 


CLEVER  CAPTURE  OF  A  CLERK       461 

tention  was  too  much  taken  up  by  the  prospects  of 
securing  the  valuable  addition  to  her  store.  The  de- 
tective crouched  on  the  floor,  and  waited  several 
minutes  for  developments,  and  finding  all  quiet, 
crawled  along  on  hands  and  knees  under  the  tables 
which  ran  across  the  room  and  held  the  great  stacks 
of  clothing,  until  he  was  within  three  feet  of  the 
burglar  and  pawnbroker.  There  he  heard  all  that  was 
said  by  both. 

The  pawnbroker  then  started  after  the  money 
which  was  kept  in  the  front  part  of  the  store.  Seizing 
this  opportunity,  Wooldridge,  by  a  quick  move, 
reached  Russend  undiscovered,  and  engaged  him  in 
a  conversation,  securing  his  name  and  residence.  He 
also  made  a  bargain  with  him  to  deliver  fifty  more 
of  these  costly  garments  on  the  following  night  at  $io 
each,  Russend  thinking  that  Detective  Wooldridge 
was  a  partner  in  the  store,  as  he  had  represented  him- 
self to  be. 

The  pawnbroker  returned  with  the  money  in  her 
hand,  and  discovering  Wooldridge  tried  to  give  the 
burglar  warning,  but  she  was  too  late,  for  quicker 
than  lightning  Wooldridge  had  the  handcuiTs  on  Rus- 
send's  wrists,  and  he  was  a  prisoner. 

The  detective  then  started  with  his  prisoner  for  the 
latter's  room,  but  Russend,  instead  of  going  to  the  cor- 
ner of  Market  and  Van  Buren  streets,  where  he  at 
first  said  he  roomed,  piloted  the  officer  to  several  other 
places,  showing  that  he  did  not  intend  going  to  the 
right  place  if  he  could  avoid  it.  Wooldridge  got  tired 
of  wandering  around  in  the  cold.     They  were  on  tlie 


462         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Clark  street  bridge.  The  officer  stopped  his  prisoner, 
removed  the  handcuffs,  and  said: 

"Now  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  bath  in  the  icy 
waters  of  the  Chicago  river.  I  have  spent  enough 
time  waiting  for  you  to  take  me  to  that  room,  and 
unless  you  do  so  at  once  I  am  going  to  throw  you  off 
this  bridge  into  the  river.     Decide  quick." 

Russend  decided  at  once  that  he  did  not  want  a 
bath,  and  led  the  officer  to  the  room.  There  Wool- 
(1  ridge  found  George  Varnars,  a  clerk  in  Ellinger's 
store,  upon  whom  many  acts  of  kindness  had  been 
bestowed  by  Mr,  Ellinger. 

Seeing  a  trunk  in  the  room,  Wooldridge  asked  Var- 
nars for  the  key.  He  said  he  had  no  key.  "Empty 
your  pockets,"  the  officer  demanded.  Out  fell  the 
key,  and  when  the  trunk  was  opened  Wooldridge  saw 
nine  more  fine  cloaks.  Varnars  was  then  placed  under 
arrest,  and  later  both  men  confessed  to  the  theft  of 
the  cloaks. 

Part  of  Varnars'  duties  after  business  hours  was  to 
see  that  the  stock  was  properly  covered  vip  and  the 
doors  and  windows  securely  fastened.  Being  left 
alone  and  in  charge  of  the  store,  he  selected  at  his 
pleasure  just  what  goods  he  wanted,  and  these  he 
made  up  in  large  packages.  There  was  a  blind  alley 
which  ran  from  Market  street  through  a  court  be- 
hind the  store,  and  twenty  feet  from  the  ground  a 
fire  escape  with  winding  steps  was  attached  to  the 
house.  It  was  by  these  means  that  Varnars  got  the 
goods  away  from  the  store  through  the  assistance  of 
Russend. 

When  Mr.  Ellinger  opened  his  store  after  the  big 


CLEVER  CAPTURE  OF  A  CLERK      463 

haul  had  been  made,  he  had  a  large  order  to  fill,  and 
found  that  the  very  goods  he  wanted  for  the  order  had 
been  stolen.  Then  he  determined  to  clean  out  his 
entire  force  of  clerks,  as  he  had  begun  to  suspect  all 
of  them.  He  called  ten  of  them  up  and  said  they 
should  go  to  the  office  and  get  their  time. 

Just  at  this  moment  another  clerk  arrived  with  a 
morning  paper  in  his  hand  which  contained  a  full  ac- 
count of  the  arrest  of  Varnars  and  Russend  and  the 
recovery  of  the  goods.  Mr.  Ellinger  had  not  seen  a 
morning  paper,  but  snatched  this  one  quickly  and 
then  countermanded  his  order  discharging  his  clerks, 
and  told  them  to  go  to  work.  Then  he  grabbed  his 
coat  and  hat  and  did  not  stop  until  he  reached  the 
station  at  Harrison  street,  and  found  that  the  state- 
ment made  in  the  papers  that  morning  was  true, 
which  was  to  the  eflPect  that  Detective  Wooldridge 
had  all  of  the  goods  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station 
that  were  stolen  in  Mr.  Ellinger's  place  the  previous 
night,  and  not  only  the  goods,  but  in  addition  had  in 
safe  custody  the  two  thieves  who  were  responsible 
for  the  depredations.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  De- 
tective Wooldridge  was  very  highly  complimented  by 
Mr.  Ellinger  for  his  clever  capture,  and  also  for  put- 
ting an  end  to  the  suspense  under  which  Mr.  Ellinger 
had  been  laboring  for  some  time. 

George  Varnars  was  indicted  and  tried  before  Judge 
Dunne,  and  on  January  2,  1893,  was  sentenced  to  the 
penitentiary  for  two  years. 

Joseph  Russend  was  convicted  in  the  same  court, 
and  on  January  24,  1893,  was  given  an  indefinite  term 
in  the  Reform  School  at  Pontiac. 


464         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 


SHOPLIFTERS   ARE    CAUGHT. 

THE    DETECTIVE    ARRESTS    A    PAIR    OF    THIEVES    WHO    HAD 
STOLEN    VALUABLE    GOODS    FROM    TWO    STORES. 

Women  thieves  do  not  confine'  themselves  to  the 
criminal  districts  of  Chicago  or  any  other  large  city 
in  which  they  operate.  There  is  a  class  which  is  en- 
tirely distinct  from  those  known  as  pickpockets  and 
robbers,  and  many  of  these  have  been  found  in  the 
upper  walks  of  life.  These  are  known  as  shoplifters. 
There  is  also  a  class  known  as  kleptomaniacs.  The 
latter  is  a  person  who  has  a  mania  for  stealing,  but 
who  does  not  steal  for  profit.  The  former  steal  for 
profit,  and  they  are  called  shoplifters,  because  they 
get  all  their  plunder  from  the  big  department  stores, 
while  they  are  to  all  appearances  out  shopping.  They 
visit  the  dififerent  departments  of  these  large  concerns 
and  make  a  few  trifling  purchases  in  each,  and  while 
waiting  for  their  packages  to  be  wrapped  they  lift  or 
steal  frequently  very  valuable  articles  from  the  coun- 
ter, conceal  them  under  their  cloaks  or  skirts  and  get 
away  without  being  suspected. 

They  go  to  these  stores  on  "bargain  days"  or  on 
fall  or  spring  openings ;  days  when  there  is  always 
sure  TO  be  a  large  crowd  shopping,  and  by  mixing  up 
with  the  throng  of  buyers  have  a  better  opportunity 
to  ply  their  vocation.  They  have  become  such  a  terror 
to  the  big  merchants  that  an  extra  detective  force  is 
usually  employed  on  these  days  to  prevent  them  from 
carrying  away  so  many  valuable  articles.  Nearly  all 
of  these  business  houses  have  their  own  private  de- 
tectives, but  the  shoplifters  frequently  get  away  with 


SHOPLIFTERS  ARE  CAUGHT  465 

the  stolen  goods,  and  sometimes  tall  mto  the  hands 
of  the  regular  detectij^e  of  the  police  force. 

Detective  Wooldridge  caught  a  pair  of  these  people 
on  October  2,  1895,  who  had  stolen  a  bolt  of  silk  from 
one  place,  and  seventy-five  yards  of  silk  in  another, 
Mary  Maxwell  and  William  Lowrie  were  the  two 
whom  he  arrested.  He  had  seen  them  going  through 
A.  M.  Rothschild's  mammoth  store  at  Van  Buren  and 
State  streets. 

The  woman  attempted  to  steal  a  bolt  of  silk  at  this 
place,  but  became  so  excited  while  trying  to  get  it 
under  her  skirt  that  she  permitted  it  to  fall  to  the  floor. 
This  was  made  to  appear  accidental  and  she  picked  it 
up  and  placed  it  back  on  the  counter.  The  man  who 
was  with  her  was  simply  "staUing."  This  is  a  term 
known  to  the  police  as  the  act  of  engaging  the  atten- 
tion of  the  clerk  or  salesman  while  the  woman  does 
the  stealing. 

This  pair  of  shoplifters  then  went  to  the  Boston 
Store,  at  the  corner  of  Madison  and  State  streets,  from 
which  place  the  bolt  of  silk  was  stolen.  They  next 
visited  the  Fair,  at  the  corner  of  Adams  and  State 
streets,  where  the  woman  stole  the  seventy-five  yards 
of  silk. 

The  detective  watched  them  closely  in  their  rounds, 
and  after  leaving  the  store  he  saw  them  enter  a  saloon 
at  the  corner  of  Quincy  street  and  Plymouth  place, 
where  the  woman  brought  forth  the  stolen  goods  from 
their  hiding  place  beneath  her  skirts,  and  was  in  the 
act  of  passing  them  over  to  the  proprietor  of  the 
saloon  when  the  detective  stepped  in  and  arrested  her 
and  Lowrie. 

They  were  both  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Sta- 


466         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

tion.  On  the  following  day  the  proprietor  of  the  sa- 
loon was  also  arrested,  but  he  insisted  he  knew  noth- 
ing about  what  the  packages  contained.  He  also 
stated  that  the  woman  came  to  his  place  quite  often 
and  left  packages,  but  he  never  knew  what  they  con- 
tained. 

He  made  the  impression  that  he  was  innocent  of  any 
connection  with  the  stealing  and  was  discharged. 
Mary  Maxwell  and  William  Lowrie  were  held  to  the 
criminal  court  and  indicted,  and  upon  trial  the  woman 
took  all  the  blame  upon  herself  and  was  sentenced  to 
the  House  of  Correction  for  six  months. 


"STALLED"  FOR  TWO   ROBBERS. 

DETECTIVE    PROMISES    TO    ASSIST    TWO    THIEVE3    FOR    THE 
PURPOSE  OF  CAPTURING  THEM. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  compelled  one  night  in 
February,  1892,  to  "stall"  for  two  thieves  who  wanted 
to  rob  a  grocery  store.  In  doing  this,  however,  he  was 
only  playing  the  part  of  a  city  officer  and  landed  both 
of  the  thieves  in  the  station.  A  Clark  street  grocery 
man  had  complained  at  the  Harrison  Street  Station 
that  the  basement  of  his  store  was  entered  nearly 
every  night  by  means  of  false  keys,  and  that  coal  and 
other  things  had  been  stolen. 

Wooldridge  was  sent  to  investigate,  and  dressing 
up  like  a  tramp  he  secreted  himself  in  a  doorway  not 
far  from  the  store  and  waited  for  the  robbers.  Be- 
tween eleven  and  twelve  o'clock  a  man  named  John 
Noland  appeared  and  crossed  the  street,  from  which 
place  he  eyed  the  building  all  over  to  see  that  no  one 


■'  STALLED  "  FOR  TWO  ROBBERS      467 

was  around  and  that  the  lights  were  out.  He  knew 
that  the  proprietor  of  the  store  Hved  upstairs  and 
wanted  to  be  sure  that  he  had  gone  to  bed. 

Everything  appeared  to  be  satisfactory,  and  he  gave 
a  low  whistle,  then  recrossed  the  street  and  was  joined 
by  another  man  named  John  Riley.  Some  words 
passed  between  them,  and  they  were  about  to  go  into 
the  cellar  when  Wooldridge  was  discovered  standing 
in  the  doorway.  Both  men  came  forward  to  see  who 
he  was,  and  as  thty  came  up  to  inspect  him  Wool- 
dridge began  to  stand  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on 
the  other,  with  his  teeth  chattering  as  if  he  had  a  chill. 

Detective  Wooldridge  said  to  them:  "Comrades, 
can't  you  do  something  to  help  a  man?  Just  a  few 
pennies  to  get  me  a  bed.  I  have  walked  all  day  look- 
ing for  work,  and  expect  to  receive  some  money  from 
home  to-morrow  and  will  return  the  loan." 

Riley  inspected  him  and  said:  "He  looks  like  a 
good,  honest  boy,  and  we  will  help  him  out  if  he  will 
stall  for  us  for  a  few  minutes,  while  we  get  two  bags 
of  coal."  Wooldridge  repHed  that  he  did  not  know 
what  they  meant  by  "stalling,"  but  if  they  would  show 
him  what  to  do  he  would  be  glad  to  assist  them.  They 
then  told  him  to  keep  a  lookout  for  the  police,  and  if 
one  appeared  to  give  two  low  whistles.  The  detective 
answered  he  would  be  glad  to  do  that  part  of  the  job 
for  them. 

When  they  entered  the  cellar  Wooldridge  ran  across 
the  street  to  a  patrol  box,  which  he  quietly  opened 
and  told  the  station  to  send  the  wagon  in  a  hurry  to 
288  Clark  street,  as  he  had  two  burglars  cornered.  The 
thieves  had  just  gotten  to  the  sidewalk  again  with  a 
bag  of  coal  when  Wooldridge  seized  them.    They  pre- 


468         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

pared  for  a  fight  and  resistance,  but  at  this  point  the 
patrol  wagon  dashed  up  and  the  men  were  loaded 
into  it.    The  next  morning  they  were  fined  $25  each. 


COLORED  ROBBERS  ARE  CAUGHT. 

OFFICER     HAS    TROUBLE    IN    TAKING    A    BURLY    THIEF    TO 
THE   STATION. 

Thieves  have  a  mania  for  robbing  clothing  stores, 
especially  colored  thieves.  Detective  Wooldridge  has 
arrested  these  without  number,  and  has  had  some  nar- 
row escapes  in  his  dealings  with  them.  The  stoi^e  of 
Woolf  &  Goldstein,  at  415  Clark  street,  was  robbed 
January  20,  1893.  The  same  evening  Detective  Wool- 
dridge met  Frank  Drake,  a  colored  thief,  with  two 
new  overcoats  going  into  Currie's  pawnshop,  on  State 
street.  Drake  could  not  give  any  satisfactory  answer 
as  to  where  he  got  the  garments,  and  was  taken  to 
the  station.  When  Wooldridge  and  Drake  arrived  at 
the  station  they  were  met  by  Goldstein,  who  had  just 
come  in  to  enter  a  complaint  that  his  store  had  been 
burglarized  and  about  $500  worth  of  goods  taken. 

He  was  shown  the  two  overcoats,  which  he  recog- 
nized by  the  private  mark  on  them.  Drake  was  put 
in  the  sweatbox  and  confessed  that  four  other  colored 
men  had  given  him  the  coats  to  pawn  for  them.  Henry 
Johnson,  alias  Kerley,  Henry  Jackson,  Sam  Drake, 
Frank  Smith,  alias  Leper,  and  Charles  Jackson  were 
arrested  by  Wooldridge  and  most  of  the  goods  recov- 
ered. 

Henry  Johnson,  alias  Kerley,  is  a  most  powerfully 
built  colored  man,  weighing  275  pounds;    is  an   ex- 


COLORED  ROBBERS  ARE  CAUGHT      469 

prize  fighter,  a  strong-arm  highwayman,  a  thief  and 
all-around  crook,  and  went  heavily  armed.  He  was 
feared  by  all  who  knew  him.  Wooldridge  found  him 
asleep  in  a  colored  house  of  prostitution  kept  by  Mi- 
randa Whitesides  at  390  Clark  street. 

Finding  that  Wooldridge  was  alone,  Johnson  re- 
fused to  go  with  him,  but  finally  consented  at  the 
point  of  the  gun,  and  a  start  was  made  for  the  door. 
Johnson  turned  back  to  light  a  cigarette.  Picking  up 
a  lamp,  he  turned  it  down  until  it  was  almost  dark  and 
announced  that  he  was  ready  to  go.  When  the  door 
was  reached  Johnson  caught  Wooldridge  with  his 
right  hand  and  sent  him  sprawling  into  the  hall  over 
a  pile  of  lumber. 

The  door  was  closed  and  locked  before  Wooldridge 
could  gain  his  feet,  and  Johnson  attempted  to  escape 
by  a  window  in  the  rear,  but  the  plucky  little  de- 
tective was  not  so  easy  to  lose.  Regaining  his  feet, 
he  burst  the  door  open  and  was  just  in  time  to  grab 
Johnson  by  his  leg.  The  window  sash  and  both  men 
fell  in  a  heap  on  a  porch  seven  feet  below,  which  runs 
between  the  houses. 

Johnson  gained  his  feet  first  and  attempted  to  reach 
the  street  by  a  flight  of  steps  in  front.  With  one 
bound  Wooldridge  jumped  fourteen  steps  and  grabbed 
him  by  the  coat  tail  just  as  he  reached  the  street,  and 
at  the  point  of  the  gun  landed  him  in  the  station. 

On  April  13,  1893,  all  were  arraigned  for  trial  and 
discharged  except  Charles  Jackson,  who,  the  others 
said,  entered  the  store  and  took  the  goods.  He  was 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  at  hard  labor  for  two  years 
by  Judge  Brentano. 

About  six   months  after  this   Henrv   Johnson   mur- 


470       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

deted  his  mistress,  I\Tiranda  Whitesides,  at  390  Clark 
street,  and  fled.  All  efforts  to  locate  him  have  failed, 
and  he  is  still  a  fugitive  from  justice. 


THIRTY-SEVEN  THUGS  CAUGHT 

HOUSE  IS  RAIDED  IN   WHICH  CRIMINALS  OF   MANY  GRADES 
ARE  ARRESTED. 

Thirty-seven  male  and  female  thugs  were  rounded 
up  and  captured  at  a  resort  on  State  street  on  the 
morning  of  December  26,  1897,  which  was  considered 
by  the  police  one  of  the  biggest  and  most  important 
raids  that  had  been  made  in  a  long  time. 

Detective  Wooldridge  had  been  looking  for  a  gang 
of  thieves  in  that  locality  for  several  weeks.  They 
had  been  committing  depredations  of  every  character, 
and  many  robberies  had  been  reported.  He  finally 
located  them  on  the  night  prior  to  the  raid.  When 
he  reported  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station  that  he 
had  found  this  gang  of  plunderers  and  thugs  a  heavy 
detail  was  ordered  to  go  early  next  morning  and  cap- 
ture all  of  them. 

Three  patrol  wagons  filled  with  well-armed  men 
were  taken  to  the  place  by  Wooldridge  and  the  house 
surrounded. 

The  doors  were  broken  open  and  after  a  short  en- 
gagement thirty-one  men  and  six  women  were 
marched  out  under  arrest  and  taken  to  the  station, 
More  than  $2,000  worth  of  stolen  property  was  also 
taken  out  of  the  place. 

Among  those  arrested  were  several  hold-up  men 
and  a  number  of  well-known  thugs  and  highwaymen. 


THIRTY-SEVEN  THUGS  CAUGHT  4:71 

Among  other  things  found  in  the  den  were  masks,  wigs 
and  false  beards  and  more  than  200  pawn  tickets.  A 
large  number  of  pawn  tickets  were  torn  up  by  the 
prisoners  while  on  their  way  to  the  station — so  many, 
in  fact,  that  the  floors  of  the  wagons  were  covered 
with  scraps  of  paper  when  they  reached  their  destina- 
tion. 

The  prisoners  were  not  booked  at  once,  but  were 
held  for  identification. 

,  The  house  where  the  big  haul  of  thugs  was  made 
was  a  rooming  house  where  the  suspects  were  packed 
away  four  or  five  in  a.  room.  Several  were  lying  half 
stupefied  in  an  opium  resort  carried  on  in  the  build- 
ing. A  trip  to  a  similar  place  on  Wabash  avenue, 
near  Twelfth  street,  on  the  same  morning  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  three  prisoners,  who  were  stowed  away 
in  the  wagons  with  the  crowd. 

The  entire  crowd  was  exhibited  for  identification, 
and  many  victims  of  hold-ups  and  robberies  came  to 
select  the  thief  that  had  impoverished  them.  It  was 
the  biggest  haul  of  the  kind  that  had  been  made  in  a 
year,  and  there  was  hardly  a  prisoner  in  the  lot  who 
had  not  served  in  jail  or  the  Bridewell  and  at  lea^t 
a  dozen  who  had  been  wanted  on  various  charges. 

The  larger  part  of  them  were  sent  to  the  House 
of  Correction  by  Justice  G.  VV.  Underwood,  under 
fines  ranging  from  $10  to  $25. 


ROBBERS  WEAR  OUT  WITNESS. 

CASE    AGAINST     THIEVES     DROPPED     WHICH     IS     FOLLOWED 
BY  A  LIVELY  SCRAMBLE  FOR  THE   STOLEN  MONEY. 

Thomas   McCarthy,   a  wealthy  manufacturer  from 
the  East,  visited  the  World's  Fair  with  his  family  and 


472         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Stopped  at  the  Auditorium  Hotel.  Oh  September  2 
he  made  complaint  that  he  was  robbed  of  $715  at  Fay 
Conklin's  panel  house,  497  State  street.  Detective 
Wooldridge  was  detailed  on  the  case,  and  upon  inves- 
tigation he  learned  that  a  woman,  Lillia  Hamilton, 
who  was  a  stranger  from  St.  Louis,  committed  the 
larceny.  No  one  seemed  to  know  her,  and  to  locate 
her  was  no  easy  job  among  the  many  thousands  of 
strangers  visiting  the  World's  Fair. 

The  arrest  of  William  Garrett,  a  sneak-thief,  on 
September  5  gave  him  a  clew  to  the  woman.  Garrett 
was  taken  to  the  Harrison  Street  Station,  and  upon 
him  were  found  two  railroad  tickets  to  St,  Louis,  two 
baggage  checks  and  $10. 

Garrett  called  a  messenger  boy  and  wrote  a  note, 
telling  the  messenger  to  take  the  note  to  A.  Chenne's 
opium,  joint,  at  Eighteenth  and  State  streets.  This 
aroused  the  suspicion  of  Wooldridge,  and  he  inter- 
cepted the  messenger  and  asked  him  for  whom  the 
message  was  intended.  The  note  was  handed  to  him 
and  he  read  the  following,  which  was  directed,  to  Lillia 
Hamilton:  "Get  me  a  bondsman  at  once.  I  still  have 
all  the  swag  except  $10,  which  was  found  on  me.  We 
are  still  undiscovered,  and  must  leave  the  city  to- 
night." 

Wooldridge  read  the  message  over  several  times  to 
be  sure  that  he  read  it  right,  and  then  handed  it  back 
to  the  messenger  boy,  telling  him  to  hurry  along  with 
it,  as  it  was  all  right,  and  to  be  sure  and  deliver  it 
promptly.  Wooldridge  changed  his  clothes  for  a 
farmer's  suit  and  set  out  after  the  messenger  boy,  who 
was  a  block  ahead,  and  managed  to  get  on  the  same 
car  and  rode  with  him  to  Eighteenth  street.    Planting 


ROBBERS  WEAR  OUT  WITNESS  473 

himself  in  a  doorway,  he  waited  for  developments. 
He  did  not  haye  to  wait  long.  Lillia  Hamilton  soon 
appeared,  and  was  arrested  and  taken  to  the  police 
station. 

William  Garrett  was  again  taken  from  the  cell  and 
searched.  Around  his  ankle  was  found  $499,  securely 
fastened  under  his  underclothes.  Thomas  McCarthy 
was  sent  for  and  identified  Lillia  Hamilton  as  the 
woman  who  robbed  him.  She  admitted  the  fact,  and 
with  Garrett  had  arranged  to  take  the  train  to  St. 
Louis  that  night. 

Both  secured  bail,  which  was  $500  each.  After 
Garrett  was  released  a  vagrancy  warrant  was  served 
on  him.  Another  woman,  by  the  name  of  Emma  Gar- 
rett, whom  he  had  been  living  with  before  he  fell  in 
with  the  Hamilton  woman,  came  forward  and  testi- 
fied that  she  had  supported  Garrett  for  six  months, 
and  during  that  time  he  had  done  nothing,  and  be- 
cause she  would  not  give  him  more  money  he  left  her, 
taking  all  her  clothes  and  pawning  them,  though  they 
were  afterwards  recovered.  Justice  Bradwell  fined 
him  $100.  An  appeal  was  taken  and  he  again  gave 
bond,  his  surety  obtaining  an  order  for  the  $499  whicH 
was  being  held  as  evidence. 

In  due  time  an  indictment  was  secured  against  both 
of  them.  The  bondsman  boasted  that  the  case. would 
be  called,  and  none  of  the  witnesses  or  Wooldridge 
would  know  about  it.  He  was  right.  The  case  was 
placed  on  call  before  Judge  Freeman.  Wooldridge 
and  the  witnesses  were  not  notified,  but  with  all  of 
bis  shrewdness  the  bondsman  was  beaten. 

Wooldridge  secured  the  number  of  the  cases,  and 


474       HANDS  UP,   IN   THE   WORLD  OF  CRIME 

every  morning  for  months  looked  at  the  court  calls, 
which  were  published  in  the  Chicago  Herald. 

One  morning  he  found  the  case  on  call  and  reached 
the  room  just  as  the  court  opened.  This  was  the  first 
case.  Garrett  and  Hamilton  were  not  present,  and 
Judge  Freeman  promptly  ordered  the  bond  forfeited. 
Next  morning,  however,  Wooldridge  received  a  letter 
from  the  State's  Attorney  informing  him  the  case  was 
reinstated,  and  to  have  his  witness  in  court  the  follow- 
ing morning,  which  was  done.  For  two  days  he 
waited,  and  when  the  case  was  called  her  counsel 
stated  that  Lillia  Hamilton  was  dangerously  ill  and 
secured  another  continuance. 

The  following  term  of  court  the  case  was  placed 
on  trial  again.  Not  wishing  to  wear  his  witness  out, 
Wooldridge  did  not  notify  him  to  attend.  The  de- 
fense found  that  McCarthy  was  not  present.  Lillia 
Hamilton  and  William  Garrett  were  in  a  cab  two 
blocks  away  waiting  until  they  got  the  tip  that  every- 
thing was  all  right.  When  the  cab  drew  up  to  the  jail 
Wooldridge  was  in  waiting  with  a  capias  for  each. 
He  arrested  and  turned  them  over  to  the  jailer  and 
acquainted  the  State's  Attorney  with  the  facts. 

When  the  case  was  reached  the  counsel  for  Garrett 
and  Hamilton,  finding  McCarthy  not  there,  demanded 
trial  or  discharge,  and  the  State's  Attorney  did  not 
offer  a  word  of  opposition. 

Detective  Wooldridge  requested  perrnission  to  speak 
to  the  court  before  any  order  was  made  in  the  case. 
He  stated  that  he  was  a  police  officer  as  well  as  an 
officer  of  the  court,  and  had  something  important  to 
say  which  the  court  should  hear  before  the  order  was 
made. 


R0BBEK6  \\  EAR  OUT  WITNESS  475 

Counsel  for  the  defendants  objected,  saying  that 
the  State  had  a  represtmtative  there  looking  after  the 
case.  * 

Judge  Freeman  ^id  we  would  hear  what  the  officer 
had  to  say,  and  he  narrated  the  case  from  the  time 
the  complaint  was  made;  the  forfeiture  of  the  bond; 
the  notice  of  reinstatement,  and  the  sick  plea.  He 
further  stated  that  he  hunted  up  the  records  and 
found  no  forfeiture  set  aside  by  the  court;  also  had 
found  that  the  defendants  had  never  come  into  court 
and  given  a  new  bond  after  it  was  forfeited. 

He  also  said  that  the  complainant  had  come  i,ooo 
miles  three  times  to  attend  the  trial.  He  then  re- 
spectfully requested  twenty-four  hours,  in  view  of 
these  facts,  to  bring  the  complainant  from  the  East  to 
Chicago.  Judge  Freeman  granted  the  request,  and  set 
the  case  for  one  week  later,  which  fell  on  Thursday. 
Mr.  McCarthy  was  present,  but  intentionally  or 
through  a  mistake,  another  case  was  on  hearing,  which 
took  this  case  over  to  the  following  Monday.  Mr. 
McCarthy  having  pressing  business  which  called  him 
home,  could  not  remain. 

When  the  case  was  reached,  Wooldridge  received  a 
telegram  from  the  complainant  stating  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  be  present,  and  as  it  seemed  that 
he  could  not  obtain  justice,  he  would  not  lose  any 
more  time  and  did  not  intend  to  come  again.  Then 
began  a  scramble  for  the  stolen  money  which  had  been 
held  as  evidence,  and  for  which  the  bondsman  had  an 
order. 

The  attorney  who  had  defended  Lillia  Hamilton 
and  William  Garrett  in  the  case  of  vagrancy  expected 


476  HANDS  UP,  L\  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

to  receive  his  fee  from  this  money.  He  was  also  re- 
tained to  defend  them  in  the  criminal  court. 

But  Lillia  Hamilton  and  William  Garrett  took  an- 
other counsel  for  the  criminal  court,  and  the  first  at- 
torney was  thrown  overboard.  He  threatened  to  turn 
state's  evidence  and  was  again  taken. 

When  Wooldridge  received  the  telegram  from  Mr. 
McCarthy  that  he  would  not  go  further  with  the  case, 
he  notified  the  attorney,  who  secured  an  order  for  the 
money  held  as  evidence  and  claimed  by  Lillia  Hamil- 
ton and  William  Garrett.  Wooldridge  presented  the 
telegram  to  the  court  and  the  case  was  stricken  oflf 
the  docket.  The  court  then  honored  -the  attorney's 
order  for  the  money,  and  it  was  turned  over  to  him. 

Afterward  Lillia  Hamilton,  William  Garrett  and 
their  bondsman  demanded  of  the  attorney  a  division 
of  the  money.  They  were  reminded  of  the  double 
dealings  with  him  and  of  their  efforts  to  prevent  him 
from  getting  his  fee,  and  he  suggested  to  them  that  they 
had  better  drop  the  matter  where  it  was,  which  was 
done.  The  wily  bondsman  was  beaten  at  his  own  game 
and  he  never  got  over  it. 


TRIED  TO  CORNER  CHEWING  GUM. 

BIG  GANG  OF  BOY  BURGLARS   ARRESTED  FOR  ROBBING  PRIM- 
LET'S  FACTORY. 

A  gan^  of  young  robbers  tried  to  run  a  corner  on 
the  chewing  gum  market  in  Chicago  in  1899,  not  by 
buying  all  there  was  in  sight  or  by  getting  options  on 
it,  but  by  stealing  it. 

Primley's    chewing   gum     factory     at     15 19     Wabash 


TRIED  TO  CORNER  CHEWING  GUM  477 

avenue  was  robbed  seven  times  in  succession  before 
the  gang  was  caught.  They  not  only  took  chewing 
gum,  but  carried  away  everything  portable  they  could 
get  their  hands  on.  A  wagon  load  of  stolen  goods 
was  recovered  which  Mr.  Primley  recognized  as  his 
property. 

In  1896  the  factory  was  broken  into  ana  robbed  half 
a  dozen  times  before  the  police  caught  the  thieves. 

On  the  night  of  May  8,  1898,  the  factory  was  again 
burglarized  and  $200  worth  of  property  stolen.  The  fol- 
lowing night  about  the  same  amount  was  stolen.  Half 
a  dozen  detectives  were  set  at  work  on  the  case,  but 
the  traps  they  laid  for  the  robbers  failed,  and  June  10 
there  was  another  raid  by  burglars.  In  less  than  a 
month  a  fourth  occurred,  and  the  police  set  a  watch 
on  the  factory.  This  watch  was  maintained  for  some 
weeks,  but  resulted  in  nothing,  and  in  a  few  weeks 
Mr.  Primley  lost  $50  worth  of  goods  again.  New 
Year's  eve  the  robbers  again  entered  the  factory  and 
stole  a  bicycle,  a  quantity  of  gum  and  some  silver- 
ware. 

After  this  Mr.  Primley  left  nothing  valuable  about 
the  place.  He  put  all  the  money  in  the  saife  instead 
of  leaving  it  in  the  cash  drawer.  The  burglars  were 
disappointed  at  the  next  visit,  and  wrote  the  follow- 
ing message  on  the  back  of  an  envelope  and  pinned  it 
to  the  cash  drawer: 
"Just  please  leave  something  next  time  or  we  will  get  even." 

The  police  considered  this  message  a  defiance,  and 
several  detectives  made  fruitless  attempts  to  trap  the 
robbers.  When  the  burglars  paid  their  last  visit  they 
broke  up'  several  pairs  of  scales    and    a    typewriter, 


478         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

carrying  out  their  threat  to  get  even  if  Primley  did 
not  leave  some  cash  in  the  money  drawer. 

This  act  of  depredation  incensed  the  patient  Mr. 
Primley,  and  his  complaint  to  the  police  resulted  in 
Detectives  Wooldridge  and  Schubert  being  assigned 
to  the  case,  with  orders  to  work  on  it  until  the  rob- 
bers were  landed  in  jail. 

Detective  Wooldridge  at  last  found  a  boy  at  340 
State  street  who  had  a  quantity  of  gum  in  his  posses- 
sion. The  stolen  gum  was  put  up  in  a  peculiar  way. 
It  was  placed  in  a  hollow  tube  that  resembled  an 
elongated  capsule.  Wooldridge  saw  the  boy  draw 
from  his  pocket  one  of  these  packages  and  take  from 
it  a  chew  of  gum.  He  at  once  recognized  it  as  the 
kind  of  chewing  gum  that  had  been  stolen,  and  by 
the  exercise  of  a  little  diplomacy  found  out  all  he 
wanted  to  know. 

He  induced  the  boy  to  tell  him  where  he  got  the 
gum.  The  boy  led  him  to  1221  Wabash  avenue.  This 
was  where  the  gang  of  young  robbers  lived.  When 
the  door  was  opened  one  of  the  leaders,  Thomas  Ste- 
venson, fell  into  the  hands  of  the  detective.  Then  a 
man  named  James  Daly,  who  was  well  known  to  the 
police  as  an  all-around  crook,  appeared  and  rushed 
to  Stevenson's  rescue.  He  made  an  attempt  to  get 
possession  of  two  loaded  revolvers  which  were  on  a 
dresser  in  one  of  the  bedrooms,  but  Wooldridge 
caught  him,  and  after  a  struggle  placed  him  under 
arrest. 

Two  bicycles,  an  umbrella,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
chewing  gum  stolen  from  Primley  were  found  in  the 
house. 

February  25,   1899,  James   Daly  and  Thomas  Ste- 


NEW  WAY  TO  ROB  479 

venson  were  arraigned  for  trial  before  Judge  Stein, 
and  James  Daly  was  sent  to  the  penitentiary  under 
the  indeterminate  act.  Thomas  Stevenson  was 
found  to  be  under  the  age  of  twenty-one  and  was  sent 
to  the  Pontiac  Reformator3\ 


NEW   WAY    TO    ROB. 

WOMAN  THIEF  BITES  A  DIAMOND  FROM   THE  SHIRT  FRONI 
OF   HER   COMPANION. 

There  are  among  thieves  many  plans*  to  rob  their 
victims,  but  Detective  Wooldridge  once  arrested  a 
woman  who  had  devised  a  clever  plan  to  steal  a  man's 
diamond  shirt  stud. 

While  standing  on  the  corner  of  State  and  Thirty- 
first  streets  one  night  in  December,  1896,  George 
Smith  got  into  a  flirtation  with  Mamie  Fitzgerald,  a 
handsome  young  woman,  with  a  pretty  figure  and 
stylish  clothes. 

Smith  was  smitten  vith  the  fair  Mamie,  as  she 
stood  under  the  electric  light,  and  after  a  little  con- 
versation he  asked  permission  to  call  on  her.  While 
discussing  the  matter  he  accompanied  her  into  a  wine- 
room  in  the  saloon  on  the  corner,  where  a  bottle  of 
wine  was  bought  and  drunk. 

Mamie  became  very  affectionate,  and,  throwing  her 
arms  around  Smith's  neck,  she  placed  her  head  down 
on  his  bosom,  which  brought  her  mouth  almost  di- 
rectly over  the  handsome  $75  diamond  stud  which  he 
wore,  and  she  bit  the  stone  from -the  screw  which 
held  it  to  the  shirt  bosom.  Then,  granting  him  per- 
mission to  cal^  on  her  whenever  he  liked,  she  started 
to  leave  him 


480       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Smith,  upon  rising  to  his  feet,  felt  the  screw,  which 
a  few  moments  before  had  held  the  diamond  secure 
in  his  shirt,  slide  down  his  pants  leg,  and,  throwing 
his  hands  up,  he  discovered  his  diamond  was  gone.  He 
rushed  to  the  door  just  in  time  to  see  the  fair  Mamie 
vanish  into  the  Columbia  Hotel  on  the  opposite  cor- 
ner. 

He  made  complaint  to  the  officer  who  was  patrol- 
ing  the  post  and  who  was  standing  on  the  corner  when 
they  went  into  the  saloon,  and  also  when  the  woman 
came  out.  Together  they  went  to  the  hotel,  but  the 
fair  Mamie  could  not  be  found. 

Several  weeks  after  Smith  saw  and  recognized 
Mamie  Fitzgerald  going  into  one  of  the  saloons  on 
State  street.  He  made  complaint  to  the  Harrison 
Street  Station  and  procured  a  warrant,  and  Detective 
Wooldridge  was  detailed  to  locate  the  fair  Mamie. 
She  was  found  at  the  Boston  saloon,  near  Vai?  Buren 
and  State,  streets,  with  a  number  of  thieving  and  panel 
house  steerers,  and  was  arrested. 

She  was  held  in  bonds  of  $500  to  the  criminal  court, 
indicted  and  arraigned  for  trial  before  Judge  Gibbons 
and  found  guilty  of  larceny.  A  motion  for  a  new  trial 
was  made  and  granted. 

A  few  weeks  later  she  went  with  her  attorney  and 
bondsman  to  the  criminal  court  to  attend  the  new 
trial.  When  she  left  she  laughed  and  winked  at  her 
companions.  The  cause  of  her  merriment  was  the 
ease  and  grace  with  which  she  had  played  the  role  of 
a  penitent  before  Judge  Gibbons  and  the  desired  re- 
sults it  had  brought  about. 

She  had  shed  many  tears  and  begged  the  courf:  to 
be  merciful.    This  melted  the  heart  of  Judge  Gibbons 


RIFLED  THE  LETTERS  481 

and  he  let  her  go,  with  the  understanding  that  if  she 
returned  in  two  weeks  and  brought  evidence  of  the 
fact  that  she  was  honorably  employed  she  might  have 
a  longer  stay  of  proceedings,  but  that  she  would  be 
required  to  report  to  him  once  a  month  for  one  year. 
The  woman  is  well  known  to  the  south  side  police, 
and  has  been  charged  with  many  robberies. 


RIFLED   THE   LETTERS. 

An  ex-employe  of  a  hotel  took  advantage  of  his 
former  duties  to  commit  a  robbery  in  November,  1893, 
and  it  cost  him  eighteen  months  in  the-  penitentiary 
at  hard  work. 

At  that  time  H.  V.  Bemis  was  proprietor  of  the  old 
Richelieu  Hotel  on  Michigan  avenue.  He  had  in  his 
service  for  a  long  time  a  man  named  Graham  Kepner, 
a  part  of  whose  duties  was  to  go  to  the  postoffice  daily 
for  the  hotel  mail.  After  his  discharge  from  the  hotel 
he  went  to  the  postoffice  one  day  as  usual  and  .called 
for  the  mail.  He  was  well  known  there  and  was  given 
several  letters,  one  of  which  was  addressed  to  Mr. 
Bemis. 

Other  letters  were  for  guests.  The  one  intended  for 
the  proprietor  of  the  hotel  contained  a  check  for  $30.50 
which  Kepner  appropriated  and  had  cashed.  Some  of 
the  other  letters  also  contained  money  which  Kepner 
pocketed. 

Detective  Wooldridge  was  asked  to  investigate  the 
case  and  was  given  a  photograph  of  Kepner,  by  which 
he  was  recognized  while  in  a  sporting  house  on  Custom 
House  place  and  arrested.    He  was  indicted  and  when 


482         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

placed  on  trial  December  19,  1893,  was  found  guilty 
and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  one  and  a  half 
years. 


HE    PAINTED    THE    WINDOWS. 

DETECTIVE    MAKES    A    WONDERFUL    TRANSFORMATION    ON 
CUSTOM    HOUSE   PLACE, 

During-the  years  1893  and  1894  there  was  perhaps 
more  public  depravity  in  the  city  of  Chicago  than  in 
any  other  city  in  the  United  States.  This  was  car- 
ried on  in  Custom  House  place,  which  is  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  metropolis.  Here  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  night  women  could  be  seen  at  the  doors  and  win- 
dows, frequently  half-clad,  making  an  exhibition  of 
themselves  and  using  vulgar  and  obscene  language. 
At  almost  all  of  these  places  there  were  sliding  win- 
dows, or  windows  that  were  hung  on  hinges  and 
swung  inside.  There  were  also  doors  which  were  used 
when  there  were  no  officers  in  sight.  These  swinging 
or  sliding  windows  were  used  by  the  women  to  invite 
pedestrians  on  the  street  to  enter  these  places  and  also 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  themselves. 

Extension  fronts  were  built  to  many  of  these  houses 
from  which  a  better  view  could  be  had  of  the  police 
and  pedestrians.  All  the  houses  were  equipped  with 
electric  bells  and  a  sentinel,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
watch  for  the  police  and  give  a  signal  to  the  inmates, 
.was  stationed  at  each  end  of  the  street  between  Polk 
and  Harrison.  The  electric  wires  ran  from  one  house 
to  another,  and  warning  could  be  given  at  either  end 
of  this  thoroughfare.    It  was  no  unusual  thing  in  those 


HE  PAINTED  THE  WINDOWS  483 

days  fo  see  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  women  lounging 
in  the  doors  and  windows  in  this  one  block  at  one 
time.  The  habitues  of  this  place  embraced  every  na- 
tionality, both  black  and  white,  their  ages  ranging 
from  eighteen  to  fifty  years.  The  costumes  worn  by 
these  people  embraced  every  kind  known  to  the  hu- 
man race,  from  that  of  the  Hottentot  to  the  belle  of 
the  ball.  Some  were  in  tights,  some  having  nothing 
on  but  a  loose  "Mother  Hubbard,"  made  of  some 
flashy  material  which  resembled  a  mosquito  bar, 
through  which  the  entire  form  of  the  woman  could  be 
seen.  Others  were  dressed  as  jockeys,  while  others 
had  no  sleeves  in  their  dresses.  The  waist  was  cut 
so  low  that  their  bosoms  were  entirely  exposed,  and 
some  were  dressed  almost  exclusively  in  the  garb 
which  nature  gave  them  when  they  were  born. 

These  women  would  frequently  stand  for  hours  in 
the  windows  and  doors  of  these  houses;  and  when  one 
grew  tired  some  one  else  would  take  her  place.  They 
made  all  kinds  of  indecent  gestures  and  remarks  and 
invited  every  man  who  passed  to  come  inside.  There 
were  two  classes  of  houses  in  this  block.  Some  of  them 
were  known  as  "straight"  houses,  where  a  man  could 
be  entertained  in  any  way  if  he  was  willing  to  pay  for 
it.  He  could  have  any  kind  of  music  he  wanted,  any 
kind  of  drink  or  any  kind  of  dancing.  The  other 
houses  were  known  as  thieving  dens  where  every 
method  known  to  the  artful,  thieving  women  was 
practiced  to  secure  a  man's  money.  In  these  houses 
could  be  found  every  low  and  demoralizing  phase  of 
life  that  the  human  mind  could  think  of.  Many  of 
these  women  were  even  lower  than  brutes. 

Exorbitant  rents  were  charged  for  these  buildings, 


484         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

some  of  them  bringing  as  high  as  $250  to  $275  per 
month.  Several  enterprising  landladies  rented  and 
furnished  from  two  to  four  houses  each  and  sub-let 
them  for  from  $15  to  $25  per  day  in  advance.  Among 
the  worst  characters  on  this  street  was  Mary  Hast- 
ings, who  rented  and  furnished  four  of  these  places 
and  received  as  high  as  $25  per  day  for  each  of  them. 
She  was  not  particular  to  whom  she  rented  these 
houses.  One  day  a  colored  woman  would  occupy  the 
house,  and  the  next  a  white  woman  would  be  installed. 
In  order  to  pay  these  exorbitant  prices  these  women 
were  compelled  to  commit  crimes,  and  nearly  every 
man  who  entered  one  of  them  was  robbed  before  he 
got  out.  Almost  daily  these  houses  were  raided  by 
the  police,  but  when  one  party  was  broken  up  and  driven 
out  another  was  ready  to  go  in,  and  in  a  few  days  things 
would  be  as  bad  and  perhaps  worse  than  before. 

Conditions  grew  so  alarming  in  that  locality  that 
business  men  and  a  committee  from  the  Civic  Federa- 
tion waited  on  George  B.  Swift,  then  Mayor,  and  J.  J. 
Badenoch,  then  Chief  of  Police,  and  requested  them 
to  take  some  action  to  suppress  the  daily  routine  of 
depravity  and  crime  of  these  women,  declaring  that 
they  were  a  menace  to  the  public  and  to  society,  and 
were  leading  astray  many  young  boys  who  were  drawn 
there  by  curiosity.  A  large  number  of  women  and 
young  girls  were  employed  in  several  printing  houses 
near  there,  and  these  exhibitions  could  be  seen  by 
them. 

The  Mayor  and  the  Chief  of  Police  made  a  personal 
investigation,  and  when  they  saw  what  really  existed 
in  that  locality  they  were  greatly  shocked.  Orders 
were  issued  at  once  to  have  the  windows  painted  and 


TROUBLESOME  BOX-CAR  THIEVES  485 

securely  fastened.  Detective  Wooldridge  was  placed 
in  charge  of  these  orders  and  instructed  to  enforce 
them  without  fear  or  favor,  and  to  compel  these  wo- 
men to  observe  the  laws  of  human  decency.  After 
several  weeks  of  hard  labor  he  succeeded  in  making 
a  great  change  in  this  locality.  The  inmates  of  these 
houses  rebelled  against  the  orders,  and  every  excuse 
that  could  be  thought  of  was  made  to  avoid  obeying 
them.  Several  of  them  went  to  Wooldridge  and  de- 
clared they  did  not  have  money  to  buy  the  paint  or 
pay  the  painter,  which  was,  of  course,  untrue,  but  the 
detective  gave  them  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  and 
painted  the  windows  himself  free  of  charge.  This  for 
a  time  prevented  further  complaints  against  these 
places,  and  Wooldridge  was  warmly  cong^ratulated  on 
the  great  change  which  followed  his  work  in  that  lo- 
cality. 


TROUBLESOME  BOX-CAR  THIEVES. 

DETECTIVE    HAS    FIERCE    STRUGGLE    WITH     A     MAN     WHO 
PLUNDERED    THE    RAILROADS. 

There  is  a  class  of  thieves  in  every  large  city  called 
box-car  thieves,  which  give  the  police  and  railroad 
companies  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  They  break  into 
loaded  cars  and  frequently  carry  away  thousands  of 
dollars'  worth  of  goods.  Detective  Wooldridge  had  a 
fierce  struggle  with  one  of  these  thieves  in  April,  1895. 
The  officer  saw  William  Smith,  a  powerfully  built 
colored  man,  coming  out  of  one  of  these  box-cars  in 
the  Western  Indiana  railroad  yards  at  Taylor  street. 
He  had  a  bag  full  of  coal  on  his  back  and  was  arrested 
and  taken  to  the  patrol  box. 


486       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Wooldridge  had  a  firm  hold  of  Smith  by  the  sleeve 
of  his  coat,  but  as  he  opened  the  patrol  box  to  call  the 
wagon  Smith  struck  him  with  the  hand  that  was  free, 
and  at  the  same  time  wrenched  Wooldridge's  arm 
backward  against  the  door,  nearly  breaking  it.  He 
broke  the  detective's  hold,  and  before  he  could  get  out 
of  the  patrol  box  and  recover  from  the  blow,  Smith 
had  gotten  twenty-five  feet  ahead  of  him,  starting 
north  through  the  alley  from  Taylor  street. 

Wooldridge  had  on  a  heavy  overcoat  and  was  no  match 
for  Smith,  who  ran  like  a  greyhound.  He  was  deter- 
mined, however,  not  to  give  up  the  chase  and  let  Smith 
get  away  if  he  could  held  it. 

He  thought  he  could  possibly  attract  the  attention 
of  the  officer  who  was  traveling  post  north  of  him 
by  firing  his  revolver.  The  alley  was  muddy,  and 
when  Smith  heard  the  crack  of  the  revolver  he  only 
ran  the  '  faster.  This  attracted  the  attention  of  every 
one  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the)'-  were  able  to  keep 
the  officer  posted  as  to  which  direction  Smith  took. 

When  he  got  to  Polk  street  several  of  the  people 
said  the  fugitive  went  east,  and  was  throwing  mud  as 
high  as  the  buildings  with  his  feet.  Wooldridge  followed 
Smith  by  the  aid  of  those  who  saw  him  to  the  alley  south 
of  Polk  street,  between  State  street  and  Plymouth 
place,  where  he  lost  track  of  him.  He  searched  as  long 
as  ten  minutes,  and  was  rewarded  by  locating  him  in 
a  garbage  box. 

Smith  sprang  out  of  the  box  and  made  a  vicious 
smash  at  Wooldridge  with  his  right  hand,  but  missed 
the  detective,  who  dealt  Smith  a  heavy  blow  with  his 
club  across  the  shins,  one  of  the  tenderest  and  weak- 
est points  to  be  found  on  a  colored  man.    He  followed 


TWO  POLICEMEN  SENTENCED  487 

this  with. another  blow  across  Smith's  forearm.  Both 
clinched  and  went  down  together.  Smith  was  much 
the  stronger  of  the  two  and  was  about  to  get  the  best 
of  Wooldridge  when  he  managed  to  deal  him  another 
tremendous  blow  over  the  shins,  which  caused  him  to 
loosen  his  hold  and  cry  with  pain. 

Before  he  recovered  Wooldridge  had  the  "come- 
alongs"  around  his  wrists,  and  he  submitted  without 
further  trouble. 

While  passing  the  Polk  street  depot  Smith  was  rec- 
ognized by  August  Frank,  an  expressman,  who  lived 
at  256  Forty-first  street,  and  who  claimed  that  Smith 
and  another' man  held  him  up  several  days  before  and 
took  a  watch  and  $13  from-him. 

Smith  was  fined  $50  and  sent  to  the  House  of  Cor- 
rection. 


TWO    POLICEMEN  SENTENCED. 

PATROLMEN  CONVICTED  OF  LARCENY  AND  GO  TO  THE  PENI- 
TENTIARY   FOR    INDEFINITE    TERMS. 

If  it  becomes  the  duty  of  a  police  officer  to  pursue  an 
investigation  of  charges  made  against  fellow  officers, 
there  is  no  halting,  no  hesitancy.  If  there  are  crimi- 
nals on  the  police  force,  those  officers  who  want  to 
uphold  the  integrity  and  good  name  of  the  department 
owe  it  to  themselves  to  use  their  best  efiforts  to  run 
down  these  criminals. 

A  robbery  occurred  at  a  picnic  in  Sharpshooters' 
Park  on  July  i,  1900,  and  the  charge  was  made  that 
two  policemen  were  among  the  robbers.  Patrick 
Sheehan  and  John  W.  Mosher  were  among  the  officers 
who  were  assigned  to  duty  at  the  park  that  day. 


488       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  that  night  Hugh  Mc- 
Dougall,  an  old  man,  entered  the  park.  He  was  ac- 
costed by  Sheehan  and  Mosher,  who  accused  him  of 
climbing  over  the  fence.  He  insisted  that  he  had  en- 
tered through  the  gate.  Then  the  officers  declared 
there  was  no  gate  on  that  side  of  the  park.  At  this 
the  old  man  said  he  would  show  them  the  gate  if  they 
would  follow  him.  They  agreed  and  started  toward 
the  entrance.  On  the  way  Sheehan  placed  his  hand 
on  McDougall's  hip  and  told  him  he  had  a  revolver. 
He  then  took  from  McDougall's  pocket  a  spyglass 
about  six  inches  in  length, 

Mosher  then  went  into  McDougall's  pockets  and 
took  from  his  vest  a  roll  of  bills  amounting  to  about 
$i6o.  McDougall  asked,  "Why  do  you  take  my 
money  from  me?"  Mosher  replied,  "You  will  get  it 
back  when  you  get  to  the  station,"  and  told  him  to 
march  ahead. 

They  had  by  this  time  gotten  into  a  part  of  the  park 
where  there  was  less  light  and  which  was  practically 
vacated  at  that  time  of  night.  As  McDougall  ap- 
proached within  a  few  feet  of  the  gateway,  he,  feeling 
some  force  behind  him,  immediately  reached  out  his 
right  hand  and  clutched  Sheehan's  watch  chain  and 
at  the  same  time  received  a  blow  in  the  back  of  the 
head  which  dropped  him  to  his  knees.  As  he  fell  the 
chain  gave  way.  He  rose  to  his  feet  and  saw  the  po- 
licemen running  along  a  fence  leading  to  the  west, 
where  they  disappeared. 

McDougall  then  ran  back  to  the  park,  where  he  met 
Officer  Moore,  to  whom  he  related  ^  the  occurrence. 
He  was  without  his  hat,  and,  his  story  not  being  cred- 
ited, Officer  Moore  and  some  others  went  with  him  to 


TWO  POLICEMEN  SENTENCED  48& 

the  spot  where  he  was  assaulted  and  found  his  hat, 
and  upon  further  search  found  two  pieces  of  a  watch 
chain,  upon  one  of  which  was  a  Royal  Arcanum 
charm. 

They  proceeded  from  that  spot  along  the  passage- 
way to  Western  avenue.  When  they  got  there,  they 
saw  Sheehan  and  Mosher  coming  from  the  north  on 
the  sidewalk  about  fifty  feet  away  from  them.  The 
two  officers  went  near  the  front  entrance  to  the  park, 
and  there  Officer  Moore  and  another  witness  saw  a 
piece  of  chain  with  the  guard  hanging  in  the  button- 
hole of  Sheehan's  vest.  Officer  Moore  at  once  went 
to  the  patrol  box  and  notified  his  superior  officer. 
Lieutenant  Jeunger,  who  subsequently  came  with  the 
patrol  wagon  and  ordered  the  officers  there  on  duty 
to  stand  in  line  and  be. examined. 

When  the  officers  were  lined  up  Sheehan  was  par- 
tially identified  by  McDougall,  who  was  suffering  in- 
tensely at  the  time  from  the  blow  he  had  received,  and 
was  in  a  dazed  condition.  In  the  meantime  the  piece 
of  chain  had  disappeared  from  Sheehan's  vest  and  he 
denied  being  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  society^ 
and  said  he  had  not  worn  a  chain  at  a  picnic  for  five 
years. 

Two  days  afterwards  these  officers  were  again  lined 
up  at  the  police  station,  when  McDougall  with  some 
reserye  declared  that  Sheehan  and  Mosher  looked  like 
the  men.  An  investigation  was  had  before  the  Trial 
Board,  resulting  in  the  discharge  of  Sheehan  and 
Mosher  from  the  force,  and  they  were  then  indicted. 
Detectives  Wooldridge,  De  Roche  and  McGrath  then 
arrested  the  indicted  men.  At  the  first  trial  the  jury 
could  not  agree  apd  was  discharged. 


490         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Witnesses  at  the  second  trial  were  produced  who 
testified  to  seeing  Sheehan  and  Mosher  in -the  east  side 
of  the  park  at  the  time  of  the  assault,  which  took  place 
in  the  west  side,  and  also  that  Sheehan  wore  no  chain 
on  that  day. 

There  was  produced  a  tintype  of  Sheehan  and 
Mosher  taken  that  day  at  Sharpshooters'  Park  which  re- 
vealed a  chain  and  charm  on  Sheehan.  A  magnifying 
glass  disclosed  a  rim  to  the  charm  which  was  of  an  un- 
usual style  of  workmanship. 

The  taker  of  the  tintype  swore  that  he  took  no  tintype 
excepting  at  picnics  and  fairs,  that  the  tintype  was  taken 
in  the  year  1900,  and  that  he  was  at  Sharpshooters' 
Park  that  day  taking  tintypes.  The  defendants  admitted 
that  they  sat  for  a  tintype  that  day,  but  claimed  there 
were  three  in  the  tintype,  and  prodiKed  a  tintype  of  three 
persons,  one  other  officer  besides  themselves. 

A  witness  was  produced  who  testified  to  the  sale  of 
the  watch  charm  to  Sheehan  in  March,  1899,  and  that 
he  had  at  the  time  entered  the  transaction  on  his 
books,  Sheehan  having  bought  it  on  credit,  and  the 
salesman  produced  his  books  showing  that  fact.  He 
remembered  the  transaction,  and  told  what  other  offi- 
cer was  in  his  place  at  the  time  with  Sheehan. 

The  other  officer,  however,  denied  being  there  with 
Sheehan,  and  Sheehan  denied  ever  having  been  in  his 
place  of  business  or  even  knowing  him. 

But  the  fatal  circumstances  which  discredited  Shee- 
han were  that  he  was  the  only  policeman  assigned  on 
duty  who  had  no  chain  on  after  the  robbery ;  that  he 
denied  being  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  al- 
though he  was  a  member  of  that  order;  that  he  de- 
nied having  worn  a  watch  chain  at  a  picnic  for  five 


PASSION    FOR   ROBBERY  491 

years,  whereas  the  tintype  in  question  disclosed  one 
on  him,  and  the  further  fact  that  he  had  bought,  as 
claimed  and  sworn  to,  the  Royal  Arcanum  charm  of 
the  pattern  found  at  the  scene  of  the  assault,  which 
corresponded  in  detail  with  the  one  shown  in  the  tin- 
type, and  an  enlarged  photograph  of  the  same. 

The  trial  was  had  before  Judge  Horton,  and  when 
the  case  was  submitted  to  the  jury  on  May  15,  1901, 
a  verdict  of  guilty  was  returned  in  fifteen  minutes. 
They  were  sentenced  to  indefinite  terms  'in  the  peni- 
tentiary on  May  25,  and  are  now  paying  the  penalty 
at  Joliet. 


PASSION    FOR    ROBBERY. 

THIEVES  BRAVE  EVERY  KNOWN  DANGER  TO  SEPARATE  MEN 
FROM    THEIR    MONEY. 

When  a  thief  sees  a  man  with  a  roll  of  money  he  is 
like  a  wild  animal  that  has  become  enraged  at  the 
smell  of  blood.  There  is  no  peril  too  menacing  to 
prevent  him  from  attempting  a  robbery.  The  sight  of 
money  inflames  his  passion  for  crime.  The  chance  of 
getting  killed  or  possibility  of  a  term  in  prison  does 
not  deter  him. 

In  a  room  at  497  Clark  street,  in  1896,  two  women 
and  a  man  attacked  and  robbed  a  stranger  whom  they 
knew  had  a  44-caliber  Colt's  revolver  in  his  pocket. 
This  did  not  deter  them,  however.  They  even  took 
his  revolver. 

The  victim  in  this  case  was  D.  M.  Elliston,  whose 
home  was  in  a  small  town  in  Idaho.  He  had  stopped 
in  Chicago  while  on  his  way  from  his  western  home  to 


492       HANDS   UP,   IN   THE   WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Indianapolis,  and  met  and  drank  with  several  women 
in  a  saloon  on  the  floor  below  the  room  in  which  he 
was  robbed.  One  of  the  women  induced  him  to  go 
upstairs.  Soon  the  landlady  appeai'ed  and  demanded 
$ioo  for  the  use  of  the  room.  Elliston  refused  to  pay, 
as  he  did  not  use  the  roojn. 

Another  woman  then  appeared  and  demanded  the 
money,  threatening  the  stranger  with  trouble  unless 
he  settled.  Elliston  then  opened  his  pocketbook  and 
took  out  a  bill,  when  all  of  them  seized  him  and  at- 
tempted to  rob  him.  He  threatened  to  shoot,  and  then 
the  barkeeper  below  came  running  up* and  struck  the 
stranger  with  a  blunt  instrument  of  some  kind,  which 
knocked  him  down  and  closed  his  eye.  He  was  robbed 
of  $45  and  the  railroad  checks  for  his  baggage. 

Elliston  got  out  of  the  house  after  the  thieves  had 
fled,  and  was  joined  by  one  Milton  Seely,  who  was  at- 
tached to  the  house  as  porter.  He  pretended  to  want 
to  befriend  Elliston,  and  said  he  would  see  him 
through,  and,  learning  that  the  man  was  stopping  at 
the  Grace  Hotel,  said  he  would  see  him  home. 

He  took  him  through  various  streets  and  cross 
streets  trying  to  confuse  him,  and  finally  left  him. 
Elliston  wanted  to  go  to  the  police  station  and  report 
his  loss,  but  was  advised  not  to  do  so  until  the  next 
day. 

He  went  to  the  station  the  next  day  and  reported 
his  loss.  Detective  Wooldridge  went  with  him  to 
search  for  the  robbers.  Elliston  could  not  tell  where 
the  robbery  took  place,  but  said  he  would  know  the 
house  again  if  he  saw  it.  Street  after  street  was 
traversed  without  success,  and  some  three  hours  spent 
hunting  the  place.    At  last  they  were  compelled  to  go 


PASSION  FOR  ROBBERY  493 

back  where  Milton  Seely  had  left  him.  Here  they 
started  and  went  over  the  course  and  soon  found  the 
house.  Elliston's  revolver  was  recovered  under  the 
bed  with  the  cartridges  drawn,  which  were  found  in 
the  hands  of  the  barkeeper,  Charles  Miller. 

Maud  Murray  and  Charles  Miller  were  arrested  for 
robbery,  and  on  the  way  to  the  station  Maud  Murray 
slipped  a  card  intC)  Elliston's  pocket  telling  him  if  ht 
would  not  show  up  at  the  police  court  the  next  morn- 
ing his  money  would  be  returned  and  all  his  expenses 
paid.  Wooldridge  saw  the  act,  extracted  the  card 
from  the  pocket  and  held  Elliston  a  witness  to  give 
them  a  surprise  the  next  morning,  knowing  that  if 
Elliston  was  seen  or  appeared  in  court  a  continuance 
of  ten  days  would  be  asked  for  to  wear  the  witness 
out.  Maud  Murray  and  Miller  made  a  diligent  search 
for  Elliston,  with  the  aid  of  their  attorney,  and  sev- 
eral times  asked  WooMridge  if  he  had  seen  him,  who 
replied,  "No,"  and  said  to  them  that  if  Elliston  should 
not  show  up  he  would  ask  them  for  a  continuance,  and 
asked  them  if  they  would  consent  to  it. 

They  both  said  they  would  not,  and  when  the  case 
was  called  they  demanded  a  trial  or  discharge. 

Wooldridge  had  in  the  meantime  posted  the  judge, 
who  asked  their  attorney  and  eiach  of  them  if  they 
were  ready  to  go  to  trial,  receiving  from  each  an  af- 
firmative reply.  "And  so  is  the  prosecution,"  said 
Wooldridge,  and  called  another  officer  to  bring  in 
Elliston,  which  was  done.  Thus  the  thieves  were 
caught  in  their  own  trap.  They  were  speechless  in 
their  surprise,  and  the  worst  beaten  and  bewildered 
couple  that  ever  stood  before  the  bars  of  justice.  They 


494       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

were  held  in  bonds  of  $i,6oo  and  $800  respectivel}'^  to 
the  criminal  court. 

When  Elliston  reached  Indianapolis  he  wrote  back 
and  refused  to  prosecute  the  case,  and  of  course  it  was 
then  dropped. 


RAID   ON   A   STEAMBOAT. 

THE  CREW  AND  TWO  HUNDRED  PASSENGERS  ARE  ARRESTED 
UPON   RETURNING   FROM   AN   EXCURSION. 

In  the  summer  of  1899  the  old  passenger  steamer 
Chief  Justice  Waite  was  leased  and  used  by  a  syndi- 
cate for  the  purpose  of  making  excursions  on  the  lake. 
It  was  finally  discovered,  however,  that  the  purpose  of 
the  syndicate  was  not  so  much  to  conduct  excursions 
as  it  was  to  conduct  a  gambling  house  on  board  the 
vessel. 

Complaints  frequently  reached  the  city  hall  from 
parties  who  had  been  swindled  at  crooked  games  dur- 
ing the  excursions  in  which  they  were  passengers. 
The  boat  was  the  resort  of  all  kinds  of  confidence 
men.  Shell  games,  three-card  monte,  slot  machines 
and  various  other  devices  w^ere  said  to  have  been  used 
to  separate  men  from  their  money. 

Two  detectives  from  Central  Station  had  been 
among  the  excursionists  on  several  trips,  getting  evi- 
dence on  which  to  base  charges  of  gambling.  When 
they  had  succeeded,  state  and  city  descriptive  war- 
rants were  sworn  out  for  the  captain  and  some  of  the 
crew.  When  the  old  steamer  arrived  at  the  Clark 
street  dock  at  midnight  Detectives  Dodd  and  Trafton, 
who  held  the  warrants,  went  aboard  and  served  them 


RAID  ON  A  STEAMBOAT  495 

on  the  captain  of  the  vessel.  They  were  followed  by 
Detectives  Wooldridge,  Schubert,  Sullivan,  Tobin, 
Duffy,  Focklan  and  Tierney. 

As  soon  as  the  captain  of  the  vessel  found  out  what 
was  in  progress  he  ordered  the  boat  unmoored,  his 
intention  being  to  steam  away  from  the  shore  and  get 
back  into  the  lake,  where  the  officers  would  have  no 
jurisdiction.  He  blew  the  whistle  vigorously  for  the 
bridge  tender  to  turn  the  bridge,  but  the  officers  who 
remained  ashore  intervened.  The  harbor  master  was 
summoned  and  the  bridge  tender  was  ordered  not  to 
open  the  way  for  the  steamer  to  pass  out. 

In  the  meantime  the  old  steamer  was  drifting 
around  in  the  stream.  Detective  Wooldridge,  who 
had  been  assigned  to  the  duty  of  taking  care  of  the 
vessel's  captain,  asked  the  latter  where  he  was  going. 
The  captain  replied  that  he  was  going  to  take  the 
officers  on  a  long  trip.  To  this  Wooldridge,  of  course, 
objected,  and  said  to  the  captain: 

"You  take  this  vessel  back  to  the  shore,  or  I  will 
take  you  without  the  vessel.  I  will  give  you  just  five 
minutes  to  decide  whether  you  will  accompany  me 
peacefully  or  compel  me  to  jump  overboard  with  you, 
and  if  you  force  me  to  do  the  latter,  I  will  ride  you 
ashore  or  drown  you  in  the  attempt.  Come,  sir,  what 
course  will  you  have  me  adopt?  Speak  up.  I  am  a 
man  of  few  words  and  am  through  talking." 

Seeing  that  the  officer  was  in  earnest,  the  master  of 
the  steamer  concluded  he  had  better  make  a  landing. 
He  then  directed  the  engineer  and  pilots  to  return  to 
the  shore,  but  instead  of  tying  the  boat  up  at  the  dock 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  he  steamed  across  to 
the  north  side. 


496         HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

Nothing  was  gained  by  this,  however.  On  the  dock 
fifty  uniformed  policemen  under  command  of  Lieuten- 
ant Deely  were  waiting  with  a  number  of  patrol  wag- 
ons.  The  officers  and  wagons  quickly  crossed  the 
bridge,  and  when  the  boat  was  made  fast  these  officers 
were  on  hand.  They  took  their  positions  and  cleared 
the  way  for  the  passengers  and  crew. 

Every  one  on  board  was  arrested  and  great  excite- 
ment followed.  It  was  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  before  the  last  passenger  was  taken  from  the 
excursion  steamer  and  landed  in  the  station. 

This  broke  up  the  gambling  on  the  Chief  Justice 
Waite,  and  the  old  vessel  was  put  to  better  uses.  But 
it  had  done  service  around  Chicago  so  long  that  it 
soon  became  useless.  Its  owners  carried  it  around  to 
the  harbor  on  the  lake  front,  where  it  settled  down  to 
the  bottom  of  the  lake,  and  lies  there  to-day,  with 
only  the  upper  deck  and  smokestacks  above  the  water. 

There  were  other  excursion  steamers  engaged  in 
the  same  kind  of  business,  but  the  raid  on  this  one 
put  them  all  out  of  commission. 


TOOK    DESPERATE    CHANCES. 

DETECTIVE    RISKS    LIMB    AND    LIFE    TO    GET    INFORMATION 
AGAINST    LAW    BREAKERS. 

Desperate  and  dangerous  means  are  sometimes  re- 
sorted to  by  detectives  to  obtain  the  information  de- 
sired in  locating  law  breakers.  Detective  Wooldridge 
took  a  desperate  chance  in  1891  in  his  effort  to  break 
up  a  gambling  resort. 

Several  complaints  had  been  made  to  F.  H.  Marsh, 


TOOK  DESPERATE  CHANCES  41*T 

who  was  then  Chief  of  Police,  that  gambhng  was  car- 
ried on  over  John  Gillan's  saloon,  3848  State  street. 
Officers  had  been  on  the  case  for  two  weeks  trying  to 
get  evidence  against  this  place  and  break  it  up,  but  with- 
out success.  It  was  in  the  second  story  and  run  as  a 
club,  with  passwords  and  sentries,  rear  and  front. 

Wooldridge  was  called  to  the  office  at  2  p.  m.  and 
told  to  put  on  citizens'  clothes,  go  to  the  above  num- 
ber, find  out  if  there  was  any  gambling  going  on,  who 
ran  it,  how  drinks  were  served  and  how  to  get  into 
the  place  in  case  of  a  raid,  and  moreover  not  to  return 
until  he  had  obtained  the  information. 

This  was  an  unsually  strong  order,  and  he  was  left 
alone  to  solve  the  mystery  and  make  the  report,  but 
there  is  no  such  a  word  as  "fail"  in  Wooldridge's  vo- 
cabulary. He  disguised  himself,  went  to  the  saloon, 
bought  a  cigar,  pretended  to  read  and  put  in  a  half- 
hour  looking  for  a  starter  to  solve  the  mystery. 

He  then  went  into  the  alley  and  took  a  survey  there 
with  some  success.  Across  the  street  there  was  an 
empty  building,  which  was  one  story  higher  than  the 
saloon,  and  into  this  he  went  to  make  further  observa- 
tion. He  saw  that  five  or  six  of  the  buildings  oppo- 
site, including  the  saloon,  were  constructed  alike,  and 
over  each  was  a  skylight.  His  plan  was  to  reach  this 
roof  after  dark  and  make  an  investigation. 

He  recrossed  the  street  and  went  into  the  first 
building  south  of  the  one  where  the  gambling  was 
supposed  to  be  going  on,  and  found  the  upper  front 
occupied  by  Alcott,  a  real  estate  agent,  and  the  rear 
occupied  by  a  family. 

Wooldridge  waited  until  the  real  estate  agent  had 
left  his  office  and  the  family  had  retired.  He  then  took 


498       HANDS  UP,  IN   THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

a  small  ladder  and  entered  the  building.  There  he 
found  a  stepladder  ten  feet  high,  but  the  trapdoor  in 
the  roof  was  seventeen  feet  from  the  floor.  Directly 
under  the  trapdoor  was  an  iron  sink  three  feet  high. 
He  placed  the  stepladder  on  this.  When  he  got  to  the 
top  of  it  he  was  still  four  feet  from  the  opening.  Then 
he  tied  the  ladder  he  had  brought  along  to  the  other, 
reached  the  trapdoor  and  was  soon  on  the  roof. 

Going  over  to  the  roof  of  the  next  building,  he  found 
a  skylight  directly  over  where  the  gambling  was  going 
on.  He  remained  there  until  one  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, saw  and  heard  all  that  was  necessary  to  establish 
a  case  against  the  house,  then  went  away. 

While  descending,  the  small  ladder  from  the  trap- 
door b-roke,  and  Wooldridge  got  a  fall  which  came 
near  breaking  his  neck,  ruined  a  pair  of  trousers, 
sprained  his  ankle  and  badly  bruised  his  leg. 

He  did  not  stop  to  pick  up  his  ladder,  but  got  out 
the  best  way  he  could  and  returned  to  the  station, 
where  he  made  a  detailed  report  in  writing  to  the  lieu- 
tenant in  charge.  The  next  morning  he  was  called 
to  the  station  again  and  made  a  verbal  explanation  of 
the  means  he  adopted  to  secure  the  information  he 
gave.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  gambling  was 
speedily  broken  up 


TICKER    IN    THE    ICE    BOX. 

BUTCHER  GETS   RACE  REPORTS   IN   REFRIGERATOR   AND  PUTS 
BETS  IN   A    HAM. 

Men  who  tried  to  make  hand-books  on  the  races  in 
Chicago  just  after   Francis  O'Neill  became  Chief  of 


TICKER  ^N  THE  ICE  BOX  498 

Police  resorted  to  all  kinds  of  devices  to  deceive  the 
police.  But  the  detectives  who  were  working  from 
the  chief's  office  w  ere  not  to  be  fooled  by  the  schemes 
invented  to  run  gambling  houses. 

The  most  ingenious  device  used  by  hand-bookmak- 
ers during  the  summer  of  1901  was  that  started  by 
William  Broadwell,  who  conducted  a  meat  market  at 
Fifth  avenue  and  Madison  street.  Inside  the  market 
there  was  a  large  ice  box,  or  reTrigerator,  and  within 
the  walls  of  the  refrigerator,  surrounded  by  big  chunks 
of  ice  and  fresh  beef,  there  was  a  ticker  which  brought 
reports  of  races  from  the  various  tracks. 

Broadwell  had  been  arrested  twice  before  on  gam- 
bling charges,  and  had  gotten  oJff  with  a  small  fine  in 
each  case.  It  was  reported  to  the  Chief  of  Police  that 
he  was  still  conducting  a  hand-book  on  the  races,  and 
the  head  of  the  police  department  sent  Detective 
Wooldridge  out  to  get  evidence  against  him. 

The  detective  found  evidence  that  the  reports  which 
came  to  the  Chief  of  Police  were  true  and  that  Broad- 
well was  making  a  hand-book,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  he  had  been  warned  not  to  repeat  his  offense 
and  had  promised  not  to  do  so. 

Upon  securing  this  evidence,  Wooldridge,  accom- 
panied by  Detectives  Schubert,  Dubach,  Gleason  and 
Walley,  secured  warrants  for  Broadwell  and  his  as- 
sistants, and  started  out  ior  the  purpose  of  doing  a 
little  marketing. 

The  meat  market  was  there,  and  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  customers  in  the  place.  Broadwell  was  not  only 
selling  beefsteaks  and  slices  of  ham,  but  also  selling 
pools  on  the  races.  When  the  detectives  entered  the 
place  it  was  filled  with  customers.    Seeing  that  a  raid 


600       HANDS  UP,  IN  THE  WORLD  OF  CRIME 

was  on  hand,  many  of  them  made  a  run  for  the  doors, 
but  all  exits  were  guarded  and  no  one  escaped  until 
they  convinced  the  efficers  that  they  were  not  gam- 
bling. 

Broadwell  was  so  confident  that  he  had  his  appara- 
tus concealed  and  that  the  detectives  would  be  un- 
able to  discover  his  plan,  that  he  smiled  and  remarked 
to  Wooldridge,  "You've  made  a  mistake  this  time, 
old  man ;  there  is  nothing  doing  here." 

"I  will  see  about  that,"  Wooldridge  remarked,  and 
then  he  told  his  men  to  search  the  premises.  When 
they  went  to  the  ice  box  and  opened  the  door  Broad- 
well  said,  "It's  all  up  with  me  now.  There  is  a  ticker 
in  there,  but  any  man  has  a  right  to  have  a  ticker." 
Inside  the  ice  box  the  detectives  found  the  ticker  on 
a  shelf  returning  reports  from  local  -and  out-of-town 
races. 

This,  however,  was  not  sufficient,  and  they  made  a 
further  search.  They  found  a  hogus  ham  which  con- 
tained the  bets  and  money  wagers.  It  was  discovered 
hanging  along  with  other  genuine  hams  behind  the 
meat  counter. 

Taking  it  down,  they  found  there  was  an  opening 
on  top,  which  was  cleverly  concealed  by  a  cover.  It 
was  easily  discovered,  however,  and  on  the  inside  they 
found  all  the  evidence  they  needed.  There  were  a 
number  of  small  envelopes  within  this  ham  which 
contained  bets  on  the  races,  with  the  bettor's  initials 
and  tickets,  also  betting  sheets. 

Broadwell  and  his  brother,  Edward  Broadwell,  and 
F.,  Wilson,  a  clerk,  together  with  the  wooden  ham  and 
the  ticker,  were  taken  to  the  Harrison  street  Police 
Station  in  a  patrol  wagon. 


TICKER  IN  THE  ICE  BOX  501 

There  was  a  young  woman  in  the  place  v/ho  was 
acting  as  cashier,  but  she  shed  so  many  tears  when 
she  saw  the  detectives  that  she  washed  away  all  evi- 
dence against  her  and  was  not  arrested. 

The  first  raid  made  on  this  place  was  on  May  31, 
when  Broadwell  was  fined  $50.  The  second  raid  was 
made  on  the  day  the  Derby  was  run  at  Washington 
Park,  and  this  time  Broadwell  and  R.  L.  Phine  were 
arrested  as  keepers  of  the  place.  Broadwell  was  again 
fined  $50  and  Phine  $25. 


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AUTOMOBILE  TROUBLES  AND  HOW  TO  REMEDY  THEM  —  By 
Charles  P.  Root,  Former  Editor  of  Motor  Age.  225  pages,  fully  illustrated,  round 
corners,  pocket  size,  red  edges.  A  practical  book  for  Automobile  Owners,  Drivers, 
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$1.50.     Cloth $1.00 

AUTOMOBILE  DRIVING  SELF.TAUGHT>..By  Thomas  H.  Russell. 
M.  E.  LL.  D.,  Former  Editr"-  of  Modem  Machineiy,  Editor  of  the  'American  Cyclo- 
pedia of  the  Automobile,  Author  ol  the  J listori/ of  the  Automobile,  Automobile  Motors 
and  Mechanism,  Ignition.  Timing  and  Valve  Setting,  Motor  Boats:  Construction  and 
Operation,  etc.  230  pages,  liberally  illustrated,  round  corners,  pocket  size,  red  edges. 
An  exhaustive  treatise  on  the  operation,  management  and  care  of  ^Iotor  Cars.. 
Handling  the  car  on  the  road  under  all  conditions,  making  repairs,  and  locating  faults 
are  treated  in  a  thorough  manner.  The  hints  on  management  of  cars  would  be  worth 
many  times  the  price  to  beginners.    Price,  Fle.xible  Leather,  $1.50.    Cloth,  $1.00 

AUTOMOBILE  MOTORS  AND  MECH  ANISM-.^By  Thomas  H.  Russell. 
M.  E.  LL.  D.,  Author  of  Automobile  Driving  Self-Taught.  Ignition,  Timing  and 
Vahe  Setting.  Motor  Boats:  ConslJ-uction  and  Operation,  etc.  265  pages,  round  cor- 
ners, red  edges,  pocket  size,  fully  illustrated.  A  practical  illustrated  treatise  on  the 
power  plant  and  motive  parts  of  the  modern  motor  car,  for  owners,  operators,  re- 
pairmen, and  intending  motorists.    Price,  Flexible  Leather,  $1,50.    Cloth,  $1.00 

IGNITION,  TIMING  AND  VALVE  SETTING-By  Thomas  H.  Russell, 
M.  E.  LL.  D.,  Author  of  Autom.obile  Motors  and  Mechanism.  Automobile  Driving 
Sclf-Taught.  Motor  Boats:  Constmttion  and  Operation,  etc.  Fully  illustrated,  225  pages, 
round  corners,  pocket  size,  red  edges.  A  comprehensive  illustrated  manual  for  self- 
ipstruction  for  automobile  owners,  repairmen  and  all  interested  in  motoring 
Price,  Flexible  Leather,  $1.50  Cloth, $1.00 

MOTOR  BOATS:  CONSTRUCTION  AND  OPERATION-By  Thomas 
H.  Russell,  M.  E.  LL.  D.,  Editor  of  The  American  Cyclopedia  of  tht  Automobile, 
Author  of  The  History  of  the  Auiom/)bik.  A^Uomubile  Driving  t>elf-Taught.  Automobile 
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A  B  C  OF  THE  MOTORCYCLE— By  W.  J.  Jachman,  M.  E.  Author  of 
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Journal.  Liberally  illustrated,  250  pages,  round  corners,  red  edges,  pocket  size. 
A  book  of  practical  information  for  men  who  use  motorcycles.  It  describes  the  mec- 
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gence can  understand  it,  regardless  of  mechanical  training.  It  is  the  one  practical 
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Price,  Flexible  Leather .' $1.50  Cloth $1.00 

FLYING  MACHINES:  CONSTRUCTION  AND  OPERATION  .~  By 
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Construction  and  Operation,  etc.  With  introductory  chapter  by  Octave  Cbanute, 
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pictures  and  text.     Price,  Flexible  Leather. '..$1.50         Cloth, ...$1.00 

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